JaVale McGee grew up around purple and gold, just not the specific forum blue and gold version the Los Angeles Lakers wear. As a child watching his mother play for the L.A. Sparks, he grew an appreciation for the true hues of L.A. basketball, something he expressed nostalgia for when realizing he’d get to wear the same colors with the Lakers this season.
“Playing in L.A. means so much to me, just because my mother played for USC and also the L.A. Sparks,” McGee said in a Lakers.com video. “That’s kind of crazy that I’ll play for the Lakers and she played for the Sparks, and we’re already the first son and mother to play in the NBA and WNBA.