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Alumni Profile Devean
George: Two-time NBA world champion Now Online bonus—expanded story and links for further information Augsburg's Devean George
’99 has joined a unique fraternity. In his first two seasons in professional
basketball, George has been a member of two NBA world championship teams with
the Los Angeles Lakers. Many of the game's greats have yet to win NBA championships, which has given George—and by extension, his Augsburg fans—a special sense of pride. "I think about that stuff all the time," George told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in a June 14 story during the NBA Finals. "Guys like [Charles] Barkley and [Patrick] Ewing never have won one ... I'm just trying to learn." George saw his role on the club increase in his second season, as he played in 59 regular-season games (one start), averaging 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. In seven playoff game appearances, he averaged 2.0 points and 0.7 rebounds per game. George became the first NCAA Division III player ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, when the Lakers made him the 23rd overall selection in 1999. He will enter the third year of a guaranteed contract with the Lakers in the 2001-02 season, a crucial year for him for his future in professional basketball. The Lakers hold the option on a fourth season. This summer, he excelled in a summer pro league for rookies and prospects, leading the Lakers in scoring (16.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.4 per game), including two double-doubles in seven games. In a CBS Sportsline.com chat in July, he said he sees himself as having a bigger role with the Lakers next season, and hopes to make the transition to become a "big guard." "(Strengths are) my versatility and being able to do many things. I can drive, play defense, play inside and outside. Now I have to fine tune it and get it together," he said in the chat, adding that he needs to improve his "guard skills and decision making with the ball. Making plays." He has said that his first two years—playing with the best team in the NBA—has provided him with a great education about how to adjust to professional basketball. "It's a learning experience, seeing how these guys deal with everything," George told the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise in a June 1 story. "You try to take some things from it, watch how they handle things in a professional way and put it in your memory bank." George had perhaps his best game as a professional in a 104-99 win over his home-state club, the Minnesota Timberwolves, on April 8 at the Target Center. George scored 10 points in the last seven minutes of the game as the Lakers rallied for the win. The Lakers will visit Minnesota twice in the 2001-02 season for games against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center, on Friday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m., and on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. According to the NBA, the Lakers will be on national TV (NBC, TNT, TBS) at least 26 times in the 2001-02 season. —Don Stoner is sports information director.
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