Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player in the National
Basketball Association. He is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection,
and a two-time NBA scoring champion. McGrady played as a swingman.
McGrady entered the NBA straight from high school after being selected in the 1997 NBA
Draft with the ninth overall pick in the first round by the Toronto Raptors. He played in
the NBA for the Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons,
Atlanta Hawks, and San Antonio Spurs. He then played for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese
Basketball Association before signing with San Antonio. In 2013, he announced his retirement
from the NBA, but indicated that he would consider opportunities to play overseas.
McGrady was ranked #75 on SLAM Magazine's "Top 75 Players of All-Time" in 2003. McGrady's
style of play has been compared to that of George Gervin.
Early years McGrady was born in Bartow, Florida. He played
high school basketball and baseball at Auburndale High School in Auburndale, Florida for three
years. He then transferred to Mount Zion Christian Academy, in Durham, North Carolina. McGrady
created a national buzz after his performance in the Adidas ABCD Camp, where the best high
school players in the U.S. are invited annually. He was named High School Player of the Year
by USA Today. McGrady has stated that if he had not gone straight to the NBA from high
school, he would have attended Kentucky. Professional career
Toronto Raptors McGrady was selected with the ninth overall
pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 NBA Draft. For most of the 1997-98 season, he
received little playing time, averaging only 13 minutes per game under coach Darrell Walker.
McGrady has described his rookie year as "hell", feeling lonely in Toronto and sleeping for
up to 20 hours a day. Late in the season, Walker resigned and McGrady began playing
more under new coach Butch Carter on the condition that McGrady improve his work ethic.
Before the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, the Raptors drafted McGrady's distant cousin
Vince Carter. The two became inseparable; teammate Dee Brown once said, "They say they're
cousins... But Siamese twins is more like it." By the 1999-00 season, the duo had developed
a reputation for their athleticism, giving memorable performances at the All-Star Weekend
Slam Dunk Contest. McGrady, now playing significant minutes, was a contender for the Sixth Man
of the Year Award before being elevated to Toronto's starting backcourt in late March.
Behind McGrady and Carter's play, the Raptors finished the season with a 45-37 record, qualifying
for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. For the year, McGrady averaged 15.4
points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a career-high 1.9 blocks per game. In the first round of
the postseason, the Raptors were swept by the New York Knicks.
Orlando Magic After the 2000 Playoffs, McGrady became a
free agent, signing a six-year, $67.5 million contract with the Orlando Magic. He elected
to join the Magic in part because he disliked his secondary role playing behind Vince Carter,
in part so that he could return home to Florida, and in part to play with their other newly
acquired free agent, Grant Hill. Hill would play in only four games during the 2000-01
season and 47 games total throughout his tenure with the team, forcing McGrady into a larger
leadership and scoring role than anticipated. Defying the expectations of many, he emerged
as one of the best players in the NBA, with Milwaukee Bucks General Manager Ernie Grunfeld
going so far as to call him "one of the top five talents in the league". McGrady's play
earned him his first All-Star Game appearance, and with final averages of 26.8 points, 7.5
rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, he was selected to his first All-NBA Team, being
named to the All-NBA Second Team. He was also voted the league's Most Improved Player. With
a 43-39 record, the Magic entered the playoffs as the East's seventh seed, matched up with
the Bucks. In Game 3 of the series, McGrady notched 42 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists,
a performance that Bill Simmons later called "his superstar audition tape". Orlando were
eliminated by the Bucks in four games. For the 2001-02 season, McGrady averaged 25.6
points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, earning his second All-NBA Team selection,
this time to the All-NBA First Team. The Magic were again ousted in the first round of the
playoffs, losing in four games to the Charlotte Hornets. In the 2002-03 season, McGrady won
his first scoring title and, with averages of 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists
per game, became one of seven players in NBA history to achieve a 30 player efficiency
rating in a single season. In the playoffs, McGrady made headlines when he prematurely
assumed that Orlando were guaranteed to advance to the second round after establishing a 3-1
lead over the Detroit Pistons, replying in an interview, "It feels good to get in the
second round." Despite holding the series lead, the Magic lost the series in seven games.
The 2003-04 season was a tumultuous year for McGrady; Magic coach Doc Rivers was fired
after a 1-10 start to the year and there were reports of friction between McGrady and Orlando
General Manager John Weisbrod. Throughout the season, Orlando struggled because of a
series of injuries, finishing the year with the worst record in the East despite McGrady
winning his second consecutive scoring title. Late in the season, McGrady scored a career-high
62 points in a winning effort versus the Washington Wizards. His final averages were 28 points,
6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. Houston Rockets
On June 29, 2004, McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines were traded to the Houston
Rockets in a seven-player deal that sent Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to
the Magic. Initially viewed as a fair trade, it has come to be seen as one of the more
lopsided trades in NBA history. McGrady would play in several All-Star games as a Rocket;
Orlando traded Francis after less than two seasons.
In his first year with the Rockets, McGrady teamed with 7' 6" center Yao Ming to form
one of the more potent duos in the Western Conference. They started slowly, struggling
to find a point guard to complement McGrady's skill set in the backcourt until Bob Sura
returned from an injury. The Rockets traded Lue for Jon Barry for 3-point shooting off
the bench. The Rockets also acquired David Wesley from the Hornets to bolster their backcourt
defense, particularly on smaller guards. With these new trades, McGrady was moved to SF,
with a starting lineup of Bob Sura, David Wesley, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming. The Rockets
then ran the offense through McGrady, used the inside game of Yao, and used the perimeter
game of Howard's baseline jumper and 3-point shooting effectively. On December 9, 2004,
McGrady scored 13 points in the last 35 seconds of a game against the San Antonio Spurs: four
consecutive 3 pointers, including a steal and the game-winning 3 pointer with 1.7 seconds
left that led to the 81-80 Rockets win. The Rockets finished the 2004–05 season 51–31
as the 5th seed in the playoffs.
McGrady's stellar 30.7 ppg, 6.7 apg, and 7.4 rpg in the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs
helped Houston to a 2-0 lead in the series against the Dallas Mavericks. McGrady's signature
moment was in Game 2, where he blew past Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki and dunked over 7' 6"
Dallas center Shawn Bradley. McGrady also hit the gamewinner for a 113–111 victory.
But in Game 7, McGrady missed 6 of his first 7 shots, and the Rockets were never able to
match the intensity of the Mavericks, who beat them by 40 points and bounced them from
the playoffs. In the early 2005–06 season, McGrady missed
eight games because of back spasms. His back spasms resurfaced on January 8, 2006, and
he was taken at halftime in a game against the Denver Nuggets on a stretcher to the hospital;
he missed another five games and the back problems lurked thereafter. In the 2005–06
season, the Rockets were 2–15 in games he did not play in and 2–16 in games McGrady
did not finish. While McGrady was injured for five games with his back injury, the Rockets
did not win a single game. Other injuries include him falling on his back in a game
against the Indiana Pacers. Despite his back injuries, McGrady was voted into the 2006
All-Star Game in Houston. His Western Conference teammates constantly put the ball in his hands
to put him in contention for the All-Star MVP award in front of his Houston home crowd.
A controversy resulted in the final minute when McGrady attempted a jump shot that would
have given the West the lead and control of the game. Replays showed LeBron James, who
was guarding McGrady appearing to make contact with McGrady's elbow, causing the shot attempt
to fall way short of the basket. However, no foul was whistled, the East won, and LeBron
James was named All-Star MVP. In the 2006–07 season, McGrady started out
slowly, and after missing 7 games with back spasms he visited a doctor. In an interview
with TNT, McGrady said that he thought that his body was slowing down. He believed that
he could no longer be as explosive as he was in the past due to his back injury. Shortly
after another bout with back spasms, McGrady went to Waco, Texas where Dr. John Patterson
performed "Synergy Release Therapy" to cure his chronic back problems, particularly the
back spasms. However, since Yao Ming was having another breakout season, he was deferring
to Yao as the number one option. Since Yao went down with a leg injury, McGrady stepped
up his overall play, re-establishing himself as one of the game's premier players and by
doing so led Houston to the 5th best record in the league. On December 29, 2006, he became
the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 14,000 points and 4,000 rebounds. In
the playoffs, the Rockets lost their first-round series to the Utah Jazz 4–3. McGrady had
said in an interview that if he and the Rockets failed to make it out of the first round again,
it was "on me". At his post-game press conference following the Game 7 defeat, McGrady, still
visibly emotional from the loss, said "I tried, man, I tried."
After the 2006–07 season, Jeff Van Gundy was fired as head coach. Rick Adelman was
hired as head coach as Rockets owner Leslie Alexander wanted a more uptempo offense to
use the offensive skills of Yao and McGrady. The 2007–08 season for the Rockets was decimated
by injuries; Yao was placed on injured reserve in February. Incredibly, the Rockets won 22
straight games. The Rockets finished as the 5th seed in the West and earned a rematch
with the Utah Jazz. However, by the time playoffs came, McGrady was already nursing shoulder
and knee injuries as he had bandages placed on his shoulder and his knee throughout the
playoff series. McGrady took pain-killing injections in and had fluid drained from both
his shoulder and knee to allow him to play. The Jazz again eliminated the Rockets in six
games, even though McGrady recorded 40 points and 10 rebounds in the decisive Game Six,
a 113–91 loss. In May 2008, McGrady underwent arthroscopic
surgery on both his left shoulder and left knee.
On February 18, 2009, McGrady announced on his website that he would have surgery on
his left knee and would miss the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He had already missed
18 games before the All-Star break, including a two-week stretch in January, and said before
the season that his knee was not healed from his off-season surgery. He decided to have
microfracture surgery in Chicago on February 24, 2009. The cartilage damage to be repaired
by the microfracture surgery was in a small area on a non-weight-bearing surface, and
the rest of his knee was otherwise healthy, according to the team doctor.
Despite McGrady being on injured reserve, the Rockets beat the Trail Blazers 4–2 in
the first round of the playoffs to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the
first time since 1997. The Rockets would compete in a memorable series against the eventual
NBA champion LA Lakers, before losing Game 7 in LA. Since McGrady was on the Rockets'
roster during the 2009 NBA Playoffs, he officially advanced past the first round of the playoffs
for the first time in his career. McGrady only played in six games with the
Rockets during the 2009–10 season, all in limited minutes as a reserve due to injuries,
before being traded to the New York Knicks in February.
New York Knicks
On February 18, 2010, McGrady was traded to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team
trade involving Houston, New York, and the Sacramento Kings. On February 20, 2010, McGrady
made his debut for the Knicks against the Oklahoma City Thunder, to a sold-out Madison
Square Garden, amid many "We Want T-Mac!" chants. He scored 26 points, grabbed 4 rebounds,
and dished 5 assists in 32 minutes of play as New York lost in overtime. This was McGrady's
first game since December 23, 2009 against the Orlando Magic. His first win as a member
of the Knicks came six days later, in a 23-point effort against the Washington Wizards. McGrady
was the starting shooting guard for the Knicks. He played 24 games with the team, averaging
9.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.7 apg in 26.1 mpg. Detroit Pistons
On August 16, 2010, McGrady signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons. On December
7, 2010, McGrady returned to Houston for the first time to a mixture of applause and boos
from the home crowd and scored 11 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished 3 assists in
a 97–83 loss. On January 14, 2011, McGrady scored a season-high of 22 points in a 101–95
win over the Toronto Raptors. McGrady averaged 8.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds
in 23.4 minutes for the Pistons but they failed to make the playoffs for the second year in
a row. Atlanta Hawks
On December 7, 2011, ESPN reported that McGrady agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta
Hawks for the veteran minimum. In his debut as a Hawk, McGrady finished with 12 points,
2 rebounds, a steal and a block in less than 20 minutes of action in a 106–70 blowout
win over the New Jersey Nets. Less than a week later, on January 2, 2012, McGrady scored
13 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter of a game against the then-undefeated Miami
Heat, to lead the Hawks to a comeback victory. Over the season, he averaged a career-low
5.3 points per game in 16 minutes per game. Qingdao Eagles
On October 9, 2012, McGrady signed a one-year deal with the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese
Basketball Association. In the CBA, McGrady shot 49.6% overall from the field, making
239 out of 482 total shot attempts, shooting 56.1% on 2 point field goal attempts and 33.3%
on 3 point field goal attempts, making 46 out of 138. He also averaged 25.0 points,
7.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. His team finished in
last place in the CBA 2012–13 league standings, with a record of 8 wins and 24 losses.
San Antonio Spurs On April 16, 2013, McGrady signed with the
San Antonio Spurs just before their season finale, making him eligible to play for them
in the playoffs. He chose to wear the No. 1 jersey. The 2012–13 season was the first
of McGrady's NBA career that he did not play a regular-season game. The San Antonio Spurs
finished 58-24, 2nd best record in the Western Conference. McGrady got his first minutes
as a Spur against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the first round of the 2013 NBA
Playoffs, logging one assist and one steal. In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, McGrady played
his first minutes in a championship series, logging two rebounds and two assists. The
Spurs lost the series in seven games. Retirement from NBA
On August 26, 2013, McGrady announced his retirement from the NBA on ESPN's First Take.
He noted that the "door's still open" to him playing overseas.
International career McGrady played with the United States men's
national basketball team in the FIBA Americas Championship 2003 at San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The FIBA tournament was for qualification to the 2004 Summer Olympics. On August 22
in a 98–69 victory over Venezuela, McGrady led the U.S. with 16 points. McGrady sat out
the August 26 game due to a back injury. The U.S. qualified for the 2004 Olympics on August
30 with an 87–71 win over Puerto Rico, but McGrady was in an altercation with Puerto
Rico's Eddie Casiano with fans throwing drinks and debris on the court when it happened.
The U.S. won the gold medal in the tournament. In the tournament, McGrady shot 54.4% from
the field and made 42.1% of three-point attempts. He averaged 12.6 points and 2.9 rebounds a
game. Off the court
Personal life McGrady has four children—daughters Layla
Clarice and Laycee Aloe, and sons Laymen Lamar and Layden—with his wife CleRenda Harris,
whom he had dated for ten years. Their first son was born on December 27, 2005, during
an 82–74 loss against the Utah Jazz in which McGrady left during halftime to see his girlfriend
going into labor. The couple was married on September 12, 2006 in Mexico.
McGrady and Vince Carter are third cousins; McGrady learned that his grandmother and Carter's
grandmother were cousins at a family reunion while he was still in high school and Carter
played at the University of North Carolina. The two played together with the Toronto Raptors
for two years before McGrady left for free agency. After McGrady left, he and Carter
had a feud, but this was resolved in a short period of time.
Tracy's younger brother, Chancellor "Chance" McGrady, played for the 2008 NCAA Men's Division
I Basketball runner-up Memphis Tigers basketball team.
In 2008, McGrady was criticized for his comments on the All-Star game being held in New Orleans,
only three years removed from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. McGrady publicly questioned
the quality of public safety and protection of NBA players.
Upon retirement, McGrady has stated that he plans on focusing his efforts on the two companies
that he currently runs. The first is a bottled water company in Florida, called BLUE04. The
second is a technology company based in Washington, D.C., called Dasdak.
Endorsements In 2002, McGrady signed a longterm partnership
with Adidas, agreeing to an endorsement deal that will last through his playing career
and beyond. He also appeared on the cover of NBA Live 07.
Philanthropy McGrady has traveled to the Darfurian refugee
camps in Chad with John Prendergast and Omer Ismail of the ENOUGH Project. McGrady recruited
NBA players to support a sister schools initiative linking schools in Darfurian refugee camps
to American middle schools, high schools and universities.
In 2009, McGrady changed his jersey number to #3. He made the switch to promote his humanitarian
efforts in the Darfur region of the Sudan and a documentary on his summer 2007 visits
to refugee camps in the region. The documentary is called 3 Points. However, he went back
to wearing # 1 when he joined the Detroit Pistons.
Baseball On February 4, 2014, McGrady confirmed that
he was aiming to pursue his dream of becoming a baseball player, working with Roger Clemens
to become a pitcher for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. He is
also part-owner of a Minor League Baseball team set to begin play in Biloxi, Mississippi.
On April 23, 2014, McGrady made the Opening Day roster of the Skeeters. In his debut,
he pitched 1 2⁄3 innings, receiving the loss. He started the Atlantic League All-Star
Game, where he recorded his first strikeout. After the game, McGrady announced his retirement
from baseball. NBA career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
CBA career statistics NBA career achievements
2× NBA scoring champion: 2003, 2004 7× NBA All-Star: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007 7× All-NBA:
First Team: 2002, 2003 Second Team: 2001, 2004, 2007
Third Team: 2005, 2008
NBA Most Improved Player Award: 2001 Orlando Magic franchise records
Most points in one game with 62 Most points in one half with 37 in the first
half Most points in one quarter with 25 in the
second quarter Most points in a playoff game with 46
Most three-point field goals made in one half with 8
See also
List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season
List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game
References
External links Tracy McGrady's Official Website
Career statistics and player information from NBA.com
Career statistics and player information from Basketball-Reference.com
Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
Chinese Basketball Association Official Profile And Stats
Feschuk, Dave. "Tracy McGrady wishes he had stayed in Toronto: Feschuk". Toronto Star.
Retrieved September 14, 2013.