Pamela McGee

Pamela Denise McGee (born December 1, 1962)[1] is an American retired professional women's basketball player, 2012 Basketball Hall of Famer, and mother of two professional basketball players. She is the first WNBA mom to have a son and daughter drafted in the NBA and the WNBA. At age 34, she was the second overall pick in the 1997 WNBA Draft. She played in the league for two seasons with the Sacramento Monarchs and Los Angeles Sparks.

Pamela McGee
Personal information
Born (1962-12-01) December 1, 1962
Flint, Michigan
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolFlint Northern (Flint, Michigan)
CollegeUSC (1980–1984)
WNBA draft1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
PositionCenter / Power forward
Number30
Career history
1997Sacramento Monarchs
1998Los Angeles Sparks
Career highlights and awards
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1984 Los Angeles Team
Pan American Games
1983 Caracas Team
FIBA World Championship for Women
1983 Rio de Janeiro Team
Jones Cup
1984 Taipei Team

McGee grew up in Flint, Michigan, where she attended Flint Southwestern Academy before graduating from Flint Northern High School. At Northern Highschool she was both an Academic All American and won two back to back state championships in Women's Basketball and Women's Track. She set the state record in the Shot putt in track and field. She was the MVP of the Parade All American game which hosted the top players in the nation.

McGee won back-to-back NCAA Championships as an All-American at the University of Southern California, where she was a teammate of twin sister Paula, Cynthia Cooper and Cheryl Miller. In 1984, she won Olympic gold in Los Angeles before embarking on a professional career that included stints in Brazil, France, Italy and Spain. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. She has been noted as one of the few women basketball players who has won on every level. 2 State Championships in Michigan with a still standing record of 75-0 wins. She then won 2 National Championships at the University of Southern California in the eighties. That same year she graduated as student-athlete in 4 years with a BA in Economics and Social Science with an emphasis on Finance. That same year she was the first to win a Gold-Medalat the LA Olympics in Women's Basketball. She then won World Championships in Barcelona Spain, Brazilian World Championships, and the European Ronchetti Cup with 4-time WNBA MVP Cynthia Cooper. She culminated her career as a coach by winning the 2003 WNBA championship with Bill Liambeer as the Head Coach.

McGee has once again made history when both her son and daughter were drafted in the NBA and WNBA. Her son JaVale has won three world NBA championships, two with the Golden State Warriors, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers. She is the first WNBA mom who has a son and daughter drafted in the NBA and the WNBA. JaVale was the 18th pick in the 2008 NBA draft and Imani was the 10th pick in the 2016 draft, making her the first WNBA mom to have a son and daughter playing American Professional Basketball. Recently, JaVale is the starting Center with the NBA Los Angeles, Lakers and Imani plays for the WNBA Dallas Wings. Imani attends Southwestern Law School as she suspended her Basketball Career during COVID 19. The entertainment world has seen the McGee Family in the reality Show, MOM"S GOT GAME. HBO produced the documentary "Women of Troy" that illuminated the trailblazing team of the Championship Lady Trojans.

USC statistics

Source[2] {{NBA player statistics lege

Year Team GP Points FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1980-81 USC 34 509 54.5% 50.6% 8.6 1.0 15.0
1981-82 USC 27 529 57.5% 63.6% 11.6 1.6 19.6
1982-83 USC 33 608 61.0% 63.2% 10.0 1.3 18.4
1983-84 USC 33 568 59.5% 51.9% 9.7 0.9 17.2
Career 127 2214 58.1% 61.5% 9.9 1.2 17.4

USA Basketball

McGee was selected to be a member of the team representing the US at the 1983 Pan American Games held in Caracas, Venezuela. The team won all five games to earn the gold medal for the event. McGee averaged 3.4 points per game.[3]

McGee played for the USA National team in the 1983 World Championships, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The team won six games, but lost two against the Soviet Union. In an opening round game, the USA team had a nine-point lead at halftime, but the Soviets came back to take the lead, and a final shot by the USA failed to drop, leaving the USSR team with a one-point victory 85–84. The USA team won their next four games, setting up the gold medal game against USSR. This game was also close, and was tied at 82 points each with six seconds to go in the game. The Soviets Elena Chausova received the inbounds pass and hit the game winning shot in the final seconds, giving the USSR team the gold medal with a score of 84–82. The USA team earned the silver medal. McGee averaged 4.2 points per game.[4]

In 1984, the USA sent its national team to the 1984 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan, for pre-Olympic practice. The team easily beat each of the eight teams they played, winning by an average of just under 50 points per game. McGee averaged 6.5 points per game.[5]

She continued with the national team to represent the US at the 1984 Olympics. The team won all six games to claim the gold medal. McGee averaged 6.2 points per game.[6][7]

Personal life

McGee has a daughter, current WNBA player Imani McGee-Stafford and a son, NBA player and NBA champion JaVale McGee,[8] currently with the Cleveland Cavaliers. McGee is the first WNBA player to have a child play in the NBA and WNBA.[9] In 2012, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She lives in Annandale, Virginia.[10]

The consecutive NCAA championships followed two Michigan state championships at Flint Northern High School. Besides playing in France, Italy and Brazil, she was drafted #2 at 34 years old, into the WNBA. She starred for the Los Angeles Sparks and Sacramento Monarchs.[11]

JaVale McGee is the first son of a WNBA player to ever play in the NBA.[12] His younger half sister, 6'7" Imani McGee-Stafford, also plays in the WNBA for the Atlanta Dream.[13] McGee, with a degree in economics, balanced her international basketball career with raising both children, home schooling, coaching and teaching school in the off season, though the formidable tasks were not without controversy.[14][15]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pamela McGee". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  2. "USC Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  3. "Ninth Pan American Games -- 1983". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  4. "Ninth World Championship For Women -- 1983". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  5. "1984 WOMEN'S R. WILLIAM JONES CUP". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  6. "Pamela McGee". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
  7. "Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad – 1984". USA Basketball. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  8. Ivan Carter (July 1, 2008). "With an Assist From Mom, McGee Finds Way to NBA". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  9. "Mother-son legacy a first for WNBA/NBA – NBA – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  10. "2000 Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame – Pamela McGee". Archived from the original on January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  11. "Nevada C McGee signs rookie deal with Wizards". ESPN.com. July 9, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  12. "Mother-son legacy a first for WNBA/NBA". ESPN.com. May 16, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  13. "Imani Boyette Follows in Mother's Footsteps, Finds Perfect Fit in Chicago - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  14. Wnba's Mcgee, Daughter Deserve Better, Chicago Tribune, Melissa Isaacson, October 11, 1998. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  15. Like Mother, Like Son, The Ringer, Katie Baker, June 7, 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
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