Team USA center JaVale McGee stepped in his mother’s footsteps without even stepping onto the court in the men’s basketball gold medal game on Friday.
The U.S. beat France 87-82 in the championship contest, giving the American men their fourth straight Olympic title. McGee didn’t play in the win, but he still made history, joining his mother, Pamela McGee, as the first American mother-son duo to earn Olympic gold medals. Pamela, a Basketball Hall of Famer, got a gold medal with the U.S. women’s basketball team back at the 1984 Los Angles Olympics.
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While JaVale owns three NBA titles, this was his first time at the Olympics. He hardly saw the floor during Team USA’s gold medal run, but he made the most of his time on the floor. He scored 25 points across 20 minutes in six games as a big man reserve.
JaVale and Pamela made headlines before Team USA even played its first game in Tokyo. During a press conference on July 24, JaVale was asked a head-scratching question:
“Hey JaVale, welcome aboard, I’m not sure … is your mom still with us?” the reporter asked.
“Is my mom alive? Yeah, she’s still alive,” a confused JaVale responded. “That’s a weird question to ask somebody, but keep going.”
Now, JaVale gets to show off his new hardware with the family.
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