Former Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee has been around the league for quite some time now, so he certainly understands the business aspect of basketball. Still, the 7-foot center couldn't help but get emotional after the 2020 NBA champions decided to trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers to clear cap space for the signing of Marc Gasol.
Instead of being salty about it, McGee took the Lakers' choice with class and thanked the illustrious franchise for giving him a home for the last two seasons.
On Friday, the 32-year-old penned a heartfelt thank you note to the entire city of LA, which he shared on his Instagram account.
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Once considered a laughing stock for being a regular in Shaqtin' A Fool segments, JaVale McGee completely shed that bone-headed tag when he helped the Golden State Warriors win the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2017.
McGee has always been an athletic freak, but his inexperience caused him to make blunders of epic proportions early in his career. The now three-time NBA champion soon developed into a serviceable rim runner, a dangerous lob threat and a fearsome rim-protector.
The Lakers took notice of his massive improvements and signed him in 2018 around the time LeBron James joined the team. Although he could get more money elsewhere, McGee even picked up his $4.2 million player option to return to the Purple and Gold for the 2020-21 season.
LA, however, needed to bolster their interior after losing Dwight Howard. McGee has proven to be a solid starter for the team for the last two years, but they had to let him go for Gasol. He notched 9.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in two seasons in Hollywood.
The Lakers fanbase, meanwhile, is certainly grateful for McGee's short but sweet tenure with the team.
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