Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame finalist Tracy McGrady looks on during the 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announcement at Smoothie King Center on Feb. 18, 2017, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/AFP
For much of his 16-year NBA career, Tracy McGrady was considered a transcendent player, able to pretty much score at will and dazzle audiences with spectacular plays on any given night.
His greatness on the court has earned him a nod in the 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday (Saturday in Manila).
Although his individual accomplishments were certainly off the charts—seven-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA First Team and two-time NBA scoring champion—the 38-year-old player-turned-analyst has been hounded by his lack of success come playoff time.
Aside from some garbage minutes with the San Antonio Spurs at the tail-end of his storied career, T-Mac never managed to take his teams past the first round of the post season.
Although chastised by pundits for his inability to win when it mattered the most, the one-time NBA Most Improved Player of the Year wasn’t short on praise for himself.
“I’m damn proud of going into the Hall of Fame,” McGrady recently told the Houston Chronicle.
“When I see myself play, there was no doubt I was one of the best players playing. There’s no doubt about that. Now, if you take what I did and put me on a winning team, now you’re talking about one of the best of all times. So yes, I was one of the greats.”
McGrady was indeed one of the league’s premier superstars in the 2000s before health concerns derailed his career. At times when he was fit to play and his superstar teammates Grant Hill and Yao Ming sustained injuries, he paired up with them against the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets, respectively.
“They were devastating blows to me,” he described his tough luck. “You only have a short span in this league to really win it. Kobe had long, extended time winning. Very few have that. When it’s your time when you’re considered one of the best, that’s the time you have to capitalize on winning as a team.” Khristian Ibarrola /ra