By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
JaVale McGee has signed a one-year contract with the Illawarra Hawks to play in the next edition of Australasia’s National Basketball League, as reported by ESPN insider Olgun Oluc on Friday.
Besides league action starting in late August with the launch of the NBL26 Season and potentially lasting until the Finals in March, his new side is also participating in the upcoming FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025, opposite Alahli SC, Flamengo, NBA G League United, Unicaja, and Utsunomiya Brex, between September 18 and 21, in Singapore.
Todd Blanchfield, Harry Froling, Sam Froling, Daniel Grida, Tyler Harvey, Will Hickey, Mason Peatling, and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk have already been confirmed by the Hawks for the next season.
Following 16 years in the NBA, including three championship seasons, the 37-year-old center returned to action in early 2025, joining the Vaqueros de Bayamon in Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional, averaging 17.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The next overseas challenge shifts from the BSN to the NBL.
Coming out of a two-year NCAA career with Nevada, the Michigan native was selected with the 18th overall pick of the 2008 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards and went on to spend four years with the franchise based in the capital of the United States. His next stops were highlighted by two championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. The Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Philadelphia 76ers are other former teams.