JaVale McGee's Heart of Gold

June 23, 2018

THANKS to my younger sister who bought tickets for me and my mother, I was able to watch the celebrity softball game organized by Golden State Warriors back-up center JaVale McGee over the weekend at the Oakland Coliseum.

The annual exhibition match was McGee's way of raising funds for his program JugLife whose aim is to help provide clean drinking water to residents of the Bay Area. This is the second year that he has organized this game since he joined the Warriors in 2017 and became a part of their last two NBA title-winning teams.

JaVale McGee showing his softball skills

Besides his Golden State teammates who showed up like Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Young, Jordan Bell and Damian Jones, other celebrities who came to show their support for McGee included former Warrior Matt Barnes (who retired last year), ice skater Kristin Yamaguchi, NFL stars Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and NBA TV courtside reporter Ros Gold Onwude.

Other Warriors stars like Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were invited to participate but begged off due to personal reasons. It was understandable for them not to show up since they needed a breather after the grueling NBA season ended early this month with GSW taking home the title with a 4-0 sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The celebrities were divided into two teams with McGee leading the white team and Iguodala leading the black team, which pulled off a 10-9 win in a high-scoring game. Iguodala, the Warriors defensive specialist, was named MVP of the game.

Facade of the Oakland Coliseum

The Oakland Coliseum has been one of the oldest sports venues here in California and currently serves as the home arena of the Oakland Athletics in Major League Baseball and the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League. It was easy for McGee to book the stadium as the venue of the game because the A's were on the road against the Chicago White Sox on the same day.

Stephen Curry wearing a hat to protect himself from the heat.

Beside the Oakland Coliseum is the Oracle Arena, the home arena of the Warriors but starting in 2020, they will move to the new Chase Center in San Francisco which is currently in the final stages of construction. It is understandable for the Warriors to build their own stadium since Oracle Arena has been there since the late '60s and is one of the oldest existing NBA arenas today aside from the Madison Square Garden in New York.

There is also a plan for the A's to build a new baseball stadium which could be completed by the middle of the next decade.

This project of McGee shows that he has been grateful to the Bay Area sports fans who have supported him during his time with the Warriors. Prior to joining the reigning NBA champions, he was notorious for his bloopers on the court that made him a favorite in Shaquille O' Neal's Shaq-tin-A-Fool TV series on NBA TV.

McGee also had short stints with the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers. But it was with the Warriors where he gained redemption because of his strong inside game and his willingness to play defense inside the shaded lane while making life miserable for the centers of the other teams. This was very much evident in the last NBA finals where he made things difficult for the Cavaliers big men.

Matt Barnes signing autographs outside the venue after the game.

Not too many NBA fans know that McGee was considered to play for Gilas Pilipinas in 2014 as a naturalized player as a possible replacement for Marcus Douthit when coach Chot Reyes was preparing his team for the FIBA World Cup that year. McGee expressed interest in playing for the Philippines when he and other NBA stars, including Durant and Kobe Bryant, played a pair of exhibition games against Gilas and a PBA All-Star selection in 2011 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Unfortunately, the Philippine basketball organization Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas failed to come to terms with McGee over his salary as a national player so another NBA veteran Andray Blatche took over and Blatche still remains a part of the Gilas program today as it prepares for the FIBA World Cup in China next year.

One of JaVale McGee's volunteers for his JugLife program

And based on how McGee's career has been going, he has had no regrets choosing the Warriors over Gilas as he already has two rings while the Philippine basketball program still continues to lag behind other Asian countries although SBP officials led by chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan and president Al Panlilio continue to lend support to the Gilas program.

As for McGee's own career, the NBA free agency period starts next week and there is still some uncertainty on whether he will stay with the Warriors next season. If not, he can still be useful to another NBA team that needs more size particularly since he stands seven feet flat.

It was sure nice to witness a sporting event here in California and this was my first time to experience this since I started living here two years ago. It sure brings back my days as a sportswriter back in the Philippines when I would see these NBA stars in the flesh thanks to my friend Tessa Jazmines who was responsible for helping the Philippine media talk to these world-class players.

I sure can't wait to watch a regular season NBA game in Oracle late this year before the Warriors make their move to their new arena. It will be even more difficult for many Californians to make the long trip from Oakland to San Francisco when the new Chase Center opens two years from now so Bay Area sports fans may have to brace themselves for what happens next.