Los Angeles Lakers big man JaVale McGee was originally listed as questionable for his team's game against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night due to an illness, per Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times.
One would never know the man was sick with the game he had during the Lakers' 28-point win.
McGee, who was even experiencing flu-like symptoms prior to the contest, ended up with 19 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in just 18 minutes of action, making nine of his 10 field-goal attempts.
Eyebrows were raised when the Lakers signed JaVale McGee after landing LeBron James this past summer, as McGee didn't strike many as the type of player that James would want as a teammate.
However, McGee has proven a lot of people wrong thus far, averaging 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks over 23.8 minutes per game while shooting 61.4 percent from the floor on the season.
The 30-year-old, who played his collegiate basketball at the University of Nevada, was originally selected by the Washington Wizards in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft.
He played in 75 games during his rookie campaign, registering 6.5 points, 3.9 boards, and one block a night.
Talent was never the issue with McGee; it was his head.
After three-and-a-half years in Washington, the Wizards had had enough with McGee's constant mental lapses and traded him to the Denver Nuggets, where he played parts of four seasons.
After his tenure in Denver, McGee spent brief stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks before landing with the Golden State Warriors during the summer of 2016.
JaVale McGee then revitalized his career, playing a rather important role in the Warriors winning back-to-back titles. He parlayed that success into a contract with LeBron's Lakers.
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