JaVale McGee Gives An Intimate Look Inside The Bubble

The Laker posted his first video in a series about bubble life, showing his goodbyes with family, the testing process for COVID-19 and his first day on the Walt Disney World campus.

JaVale McGee is posting a behind-the-scenes video series on life in the NBA bubble on his YouTube channel. 

In his first video, McGee showed his car ride to Atlantic Aviation at LAX with his family. He sat in the back of an SUV with his three-year-old daughter, Genevieve, and explained to her why she couldn’t come to Orlando for a couple of months and expressed his own emotions over leaving his family for the resumption of the NBA season. 

“I’m excited to go to the Orlando bubble, but I’m not excited to go to the Orlando bubble,” McGee said. “There’s a lot of restrictions, you know what I’m saying? I’m used to freedom. But there’s one goal and one goal only. What goal is that Gigi? To win a championship. So excited.” 

McGee hugged and kissed his daughter goodbye and showed himself getting his temperature taken and answering a series of questions before getting onto the plane with his team. 

The 12-minute video had more than 45,000 views as of Monday morning. 

With media not having typical access to players because of the pandemic, McGee's video provided a unique look at what life is like for the Lakers during this unusual time. 

After the Lakers arrived in Orlando, they boarded a bus and had to keep proper distance from one another. McGee read a sign on some seats that said: “These seats are closed. Do not use.”  

When the Lakers arrived at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex, he showed himself being tested for COVD-19 in a ballroom. He was swabbed in the mouth and then in both nostrils. He was asked when his birthday was and initially said 1998 - which would make him 22 - before correcting himself to say 1988. 

McGee then began his 48-hour quarantine at the Gran Destino Tower at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort.

“Made it safe and sound, sound and safe,” he said. 

There were snacks, including chocolate popcorn, Skittles and a bottle of red wine. Players were also given a gift bag which had speakers, headphones, an Amazon Fire Stick, an NBA robe, masks, hand sanitizer and books, including “The Soul of Black Folk” by W.E.B. Du Bois.

McGee said he was excited to have that book since he had previously started reading it but hadn’t finished it. 

McGee, a two-time champion, then promised more insider content from inside the bubble as he competes for his third championship with the Lakers, who are atop the Western Conference with a record of 49-14.