McGee promises poster-worthy moments

JaVale McGee commands the spotlight as the undeniable must-watch star of the season.

With three NBA championships and nearly 1,000 games of experience, his basketball pedigree is unmatched in the Hungry Jack's NBL.

Touching down in Wollongong on Monday, the 37-year-old expressed his excitement to begin his journey with the Illawarra Hawks and hinted at big things to come.

"My message to fans is that I will bring championship-calibre basketball with a little sprinkle of excitement and a lot of dunks and blocked shots," McGee said.

"If you're a fan of me, you know what I do, so just bringing what I do to this organisation, which is already a championship organisation, I feel like it's just a cherry on top.

"I bring energy. I carry a belief, I get an expectation when I step on the court with guys, off the court, in practice and pre-game.

"It's just the energy that I bring that I don't think anybody else brings in the NBA, the NBL, or the BSN, wherever I've ever played.

"That's one thing I definitely bring."

With championship rings from two teams already in hand, McGee is laser-focused on adding another accolade to his collection.

“I feel like that goal of winning the championship sets in forever, and that’s something that the fans and everybody else will remember forever, and they’ll remember you for, and they’ll love you for, so winning the championship here is really the only goal I have,” McGee said.

Hawks coach Justin Tatum believes McGee will be a game-changing addition to the reigning champions’ squad.

"(He’s) just a dominant presence," Tatum told ESPN.

"There's no illegal defence here, so he's gonna clog the lane, he's gonna sit up there and make difficult shots for everybody else.

"Then, on the offensive end, we can just put the ball up anywhere as we break defences down, and hopefully he can just catch a lob or be on the back-side. I'm really excited for how he's gonna be the communicator on the defensive end.

"I'm really excited about him and Jonah working together, with their height and wingspan, and potential. It just goes with Swaka [Lo Buluk's] ability to guard, and Davo's toughness, and [Harvey's] ability on both ends, so I'm excited how he's going to be the vocal person on that first five."

Teammate Tyler Harvey is thrilled at the opportunity to share the court with a player of McGee’s calibre.

"He's played at the highest level for so long," Harvey said of McGee.

"He's won championships. He knows what it takes. To play with such a high-flyer... will be fun. Just learning from him. I know the Wollongong community will immerse him and show love to him. We're looking forward to building that connection.