Devean George
The unheralded swingman from Division III who carved out an eleven-year NBA career and collected three championship rings with the Lakers.
Born 1977 (age 49)·American basketball player·Birthday: August 29·Generation X
Biography
Devean George's path to the NBA was anything but conventional. While most pros come from major college programs, George honed his game at Augsburg College, a Division III school in his hometown of Minneapolis. His raw athleticism and defensive tenacity caught the eye of the Los Angeles Lakers, who drafted him in 1999. Stepping onto a team featuring Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, George found a crucial niche. He wasn't a star, but a reliable, versatile defender who could hit an open three-pointer. For five seasons, he was a rotation player on a dynasty, contributing to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. After his playing days, he leveraged his earnings and acumen into a successful second act as a real estate developer, focusing on affordable housing projects in Minnesota, proving his vision extended far beyond the court.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Devean was born in 1977, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Devean Was Born
The biggest hits of 1977
#1 Movie
Star Wars
Best Picture
Annie Hall
#1 TV Show
Happy Days
Devean's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1977Born
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1982Started school
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1990Became a teenager
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Could drive
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1995Could vote
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1998Turned 21
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2007Turned 30
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 40
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 49 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won three consecutive NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002).
- Played 11 seasons in the NBA for four different franchises.
- One of the few players to win an NBA championship straight out of a Division III college.
- Scored a career-high 22 points in a 2003 playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Did You Know?
He is the first and only NBA player to have graduated from Augsburg University.
He successfully blocked a trade that would have sent him from the Dallas Mavericks to the New Jersey Nets in 2008 by invoking a no-trade clause in his contract.
His development company, George Group, focuses on affordable housing in North Minneapolis.
“I had to prove myself at every level, from Division III to the NBA Finals.”
