JaVale McGee is one of the most underrated centers of his generation. McGee has never been a superstar or a player with massive numbers.
But McGee has proven to be a very effective role player, someone who works hard on the court, and provides the team with solid minutes. McGee has been extremely successful in this role. And if he can win another championship this season, he will get the better of an NBA legend and a big critic of his.
McGee, now with the Suns, could win his 4th NBA championship in 6 seasons.
He won 2 NBA championships with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 and was part of the Los Angeles Lakers squad that won the NBA championship in 2020. In comparison, Shaquille O’Neal, one of the greatest players of all time, and someone who has had a tense history with McGee took 7 seasons to win all 4 of the NBA championships he won across his career.
Shaq won 3 NBA championships between 1999 to 2002, and then won his 4th NBA championship in 2006, while he was in Miami with Dwyane Wade. Shaq would never come close to winning another NBA championship in his career. After 2006, Shaq had gotten very old, and he was jumping between teams to try to get one chance to win his 5th NBA championship before he retired.
Shaq and JaVale McGee have had a complicated history with each other. Shaq would often poke fun and take shots at JaVale McGee as part of his ‘Shaqtin A Fool’ segment on Inside The NBA on TNT.
Things got so bad between the two, that their mothers had to intervene and ask them to dial it back and not show as much animosity as they had. Winning the same amount of championships as Shaq, especially in less time, will give McGee a great deal of satisfaction.
