JaVale Lindy McGee is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft. He is a two-time NBA champion, having won consecutive titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 before signing with the Lakers.

McGee attended two high schools in Michigan, Detroit Country Day School and Providence Christian, before transferring to Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago. According to Hales Franciscan coach Gary London, McGee's natural position in college was ideally small forward, and he could play both forward spots. McGee was the starting center for the University of Nevada. After his sophomore campaign, in which he averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, shooting 53% from the field and 33% from three-point range, McGee decided to hire an agent and declare for the 2008 NBA draft.

McGee was selected 18th overall by the Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft. On July 9, 2008, he signed a two-year, $2.4 million deal with the Wizards.

On March 15, 2012, McGee was traded to the Nuggets along with Ronny Turiaf in a deal that sent Nenê to the Wizards. As a member of the Wizards, he started 40 of 41 games in which he appeared; with the Nuggets, he would start in 5 of 20 games in which he appeared. His minutes would also be reduced, averaging 27.4 with Washington but 20.6 with Denver. On March 21, in his Nuggets debut, McGee made the game-winning dunk off an Arron Afflalo missed free throw with 5 seconds left on the clock. At the end of the regular season, the Nuggets earned the West's sixth seed, and McGee appeared in the 2012 NBA Playoffs, which was his first playoff appearance in his career. McGee's series-high was 21 points in Game 5 against first-round opponent Los Angeles Lakers. McGee's numbers were up and down throughout the series, including Game 7, when he scored just 6 points on 1-7 shooting in 32 minutes of floor time. On July 18, 2012, McGee re-signed with the Nuggets on a four-year, $44 million contract.

On February 19, 2015, McGee was traded, along with the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum and a 2015 first-round pick, to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the rights to Cenk Akyol. On March 1, 2015, he was waived by the 76ers after appearing in six games.

On August 13, 2015, McGee signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He missed the team's first 13 games of the 2015–16 season due to a stress fracture in his left tibia. On November 22, 2015, he made his debut for the Mavericks, playing in just under 11 minutes off the bench, recording 8 points and 6 rebounds in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On January 5, 2016, he recorded season highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 117–116 double overtime win over the Sacramento Kings.

On July 8, 2016, McGee was waived by the Mavericks.

On September 16, 2016, McGee signed with the Golden State Warriors. On December 15, 2016, he scored a season-high 17 points in a 103–90 win over the New York Knicks. On March 31, 2017, he had 13 points and a season-best five blocked shots in a 107–98 win over the Houston Rockets. The Warriors went on to win the 2017 NBA Championship after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–1 in the NBA Finals. He played in 77 of 82 regular season games, with a field goal percentage of .652, and 16 of 17 playoff games, with a percentage of .732, both the best in his career.

On August 1, 2017, McGee re-signed with the Warriors on a one-year contract. In June 2018, he won his second straight championship after the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in a four-game sweep in the Finals. He started the final three games of the series, and averaged 8.0 points in the four games.

On July 10, 2018, McGee signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. He missed seven games in December due to a respiratory infection.

McGee received an invite to the United States men's national basketball team's mini camp in the summer of 2009 and again in the summer of 2010. McGee played with Team USA in a scrimmage at Radio City Music Hall during the 2010 World Basketball Festival but after an uneven performance he did not play in the team's scrimmage against China at Madison Square Garden and was cut on August 15, 2010.

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