Two USC greats to have numbers retired


Pam and Paula McGee, two All-Americans and national champions for the Women of Troy, will have their jerseys retired at halftime when USC takes on UCLA at the Galen Center at noon on Feb. 19.

Among legends · Pam and Paula McGee’s jerseys will be immortalized with other Women of Troy greats on Feb. 19. Before the McGees, just three women’s basketball players had their numbers retired. - Courtesy of USC Sports Information

The two sisters were integral pieces of USC’s back-to-back national championship teams in 1983 and 1984, and both have their fair share of accolades and statistical records.

Pam McGee ranks second all-time in total rebounds with 1,255 and sixth all-time in points with 2,214. During her four years at USC, she averaged at least 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds each season and went to the WNBA as the second overall pick in the 1997 draft. On the international stage, she helped the country earn a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games.

Pam McGee was inducted to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on July 23 last year, joining four other Women of Troy with the honor. She was also the first WNBA player to have her son play in the NBA. JaVale McGee currently plays for the Washington Wizards.

Her sister, Paula McGee, ranks fourth all-time in scoring with 2,346 career points. She jumped out to a fast start with her collegiate career, averaging 20 points and 9.2 rebounds as a freshman. Paula McGee rounded out her collegiate career, averaging 18.4 points per game alongside 9.1 rebounds. She also holds the record for second-most field goals made at 993 and third-most blocked shots at 190.

After the WNBA, she started a sports management agency and represented her sister, Pam, in the WNBA. She now operates Paula McGee Ministries and is an ordained Baptist minister.

The sisters will join Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Lisa Leslie and Cheryl Miller as the only Women of Troy with retired jerseys in the Galen Center.