Devean George overcame many obstacles throughout his basketball career. He was not a big recruit coming out of college and did not even attend a Division I school. Despite not being a big name in college, he was able to have a career in the NBA.

George had the opportunity to play with some really good NBA teams as well, and he won multiple championships.

Devean George’s path to the NBA

George is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and played high school basketball at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School. George never got looks from any top Division I schools during his high school career, and he ended up signing with Augsburg College. He was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MVP for two consecutive seasons. George set a few school records during his senior season by scoring 770 points and averaged 27.5 points per game.

As a senior, he led Augsburg to a 24-4 record and an appearance in the NCAA III tournament. At 6-foot-8, George was very versatile in college and proved to be a scorer. His senior season performance caught the eyes of numerous NBA scouts, despite being at a Division III school. In the 1999 NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers selected George with the 23rd overall pick.

George joined the Lakers at the right time. In his first three seasons, he primarily came off the bench for the Lakers, who had a talented team. George was a part of three straight NBA championships with the team. He showed a lot of promise for the Lakers, especially during his third season. During the 2001-02 season, he averaged 7.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Devean George knew how to play his role in the league

George spent his first seven seasons with the Lakers. The 2003-04 season was George’s best season in the league. He played in 82 games and started in 48 averaging 7.4 points and four rebounds, which was a career-high.

After spending seven seasons with the Lakers, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks and played there for three seasons. He continued to play a reserved role and offer significant minutes coming off the bench. George spent his last NBA season playing for the Golden State Warriors. During his 11-year NBA career, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.1 assists. George was known for his defensive abilities and 3-point shooting coming off the bench.

Devean George overcoming obstacles

There’s a maximum of 15 players on each team in the NBA. A lot of players have a dream to make it on an NBA roster one day, but that dream does not come true for most. It’s even harder if you go to a Division III school. George is the only player in NBA history to be drafted into the NBA.

What George did was very impressive because not only did he get drafted coming from a Division III school, he went in the first round. George was fortunate to join a team like the Lakers and win three straight championships. He came into the league as a winner, which is not something most players get the chance to do.