Legacy Left Behind: Tracy McGrady

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Tracy McGrady

 

Tracy McGrady
(Photo: Tom Pidgeon /Getty Images)

 

Admit it, you were one of people who tried everything you could to mirror T-Mac’s move on the basketball court. Tracy McGrady was known a ‘swingman’, a player who could play both guard and forward. At 6-foot-8, McGrady brought a height that was tough to guard for any shooting guard or small forward in the NBA. Along with the height, he had an offensive game that made him one of the best players during era. Let’s take a good look into what made McGrady the player he was, and the legacy that he left behind.

The Offensive Guru

Tracy McGrady learned under the wing of Vince Carter when he was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 1997. It took a couple of years for McGrady to find his place in the league. He was even known to sleep up to 20 hours a day during his rookie season in Toronto. A scary thought, McGrady eventually took his game to the next level as he won Sixth Man of the Year in the 1999-2000 season. McGrady was not happy playing behind fellow star Vince Carter, which led to him signing a six-year contract with the Orlando Magic after the 2000 season. It was the perfect fit for T-Mac — he moved home and became one of the best offensive players the NBA has ever seen. He was a two-time scoring champion in Orlando, but never made it past the first round of the playoffs.

The Magic were up 3-1 in a series versus the Detroit Pistons and McGrady said, “It feels good to make it to the second round”. They eventually lost the series in seven games.

McGrady finished the latter part of his prime with the Houston Rockets. Although he once again never made it past the first round, McGrady’s offensive genius never left. In this video, McGrady scored 13 points himself in 35 seconds to beat the San Antonio Spurs. It could arguably be the greatest end-of-game performance ever.

Legacy

People will always knock McGrady for never making it past the first round. I for one, will still admire his individual game and performances. Even though basketball is a team sport, McGrady was always the player to watch on his team. He had a sense of swagger that he carried on the court that fans around the world tried to emulate. To me, he will always be a player that is overlooked because of little playoff success. I’d say the rebuttal to that statement is, there are many other great players whom have had little playoff success, and are still considered all-time greats.

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