Oprah Network plans show with Flint natives Pamela McGee, son JaVale McGee: ‘Millionaire Mama’s Boy’
Flint natives Pamela McGee and son JaVale McGee will be the stars of a new reality show, “Millionaire Mama’s Boy,” on the Oprah Winfrey Network, scheduled for the fall.
Flint natives JaVale McGee (left) and his mother Pamela McGee (right) will be the stars of a new reality show, “Millionaire Mama’s Boy,” on OWN. Pamela is a former WNBA player and JaVale currently plays for the Denver Nuggets.
MLive.com
FLINT, MI — There is no First Family of Basketball, but if
there was, Flint’s own McGees would be reasonable contenders for the title.
Solidifying their spot as one of the best mother-son duos in
basketball, the Opera Winfrey Network announced this month that it is planning a
new reality show, “Millionaire Mama’s Boy,” that will center on Pamela McGee and her
relationship with her son, Javale McGee, and friends.
Pamela McGee, a Flint Northern graduate, won back-to-back
NCAA championships at University of Southern California and had a brief stint
in the Women’s National Basketball Association before continuing her career in Europe. JaVale McGee was the 18th overall draft pick by the Washington Wizards in 2008 and
plays for the Denver Nuggets.
“We are Flintstones and come from Flint, Michigan, and now we are basically
the American dream,” Pamela McGee said. “I feel people need to see that. We
didn’t just wake up and become millionaires. It all started in a small
town called Flint and in the process of working, we had a lot of fun.”
JaVale McGee has had an up-and-down couple of seasons in Denver.
When he is playing to his potential, he is one of the most dominant big men in
the NBA, but there are times when coaches and teammates aren’t always seeing
what they want out of him.
Pamela McGee was recently inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall
of Fame, alongside fellow Flint native Mateen Cleaves, and is also a member of
the University of Southern California’s Hall of Fame, the Greater Flint
Afro-American Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
While Pamela and JaVale have things in their lives others don’t, Pamela McGee says what really stuck out to Sony Television and OWN was the universal appeal of their lives.
“It is not a black story, a white story, a rich or poor story, but the story of a son and his mother,” she said. “When I text him, he needs to make sure he texts me back. It is about a mother who is 50 and allowing her son to do what he needs to do and him allowing me to do what I need to do.
“Everyone has a relationship with their mother, so this is a universal story. When all is said and done, we have fun as a family and it keeps us grounded.”
From the OWN press release announcing the show:
“The new OWN series “Millionaire Mama’s Boy” explores the
dynamic relationship between former WNBA basketball player Pamela McGee and her
25-year-old son, Denver Nuggets center, JaVale McGee. Famous for being
domineering on and off the court, Pamela is not only JaVale’s mom, she’s also
his business manager, working to build an empire while trying to keep a tight
rein on the glitz and girls that come with the life of an NBA star. (…)“They may be crazy, loud and a little wild, but family’s
what it’s all about for the McGees and their friends. Ultimately, it’s a show
about family, love and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her son, all
seven feet of him.”
A premiere date has not been set for “Millionaire Mama’s
Boy,” but it is expected to be sometime in the fall.
Contact Josh at jgordon6@mlive.com or 810-247-7928 and
follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKGordon.
