“I Was Sitting Next To Your Grandmother!”: Tracy McGrady On How Vince Carter Being His Cousin Got Revealed

Perhaps the greatest blood related duo in NBA history, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady not only played in the NBA, but they did so on the same team. Tracy was drafted with the 9th overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft and would start his career off with the Toronto Raptors. 

Vince Carter would be selected 5th overall in the following year’s draft in 1998 and would start off his career with the Toronto Raptors as well. Both Vince and Tracy were teammates for 2 seasons on the Raps before the former decided to join the Orlando Magic as a free agent in the summer of 2000. 

However, prior to them becoming teammates, Tracy McGrady would have the shock of a lifetime when he would find out about how he was related to Vince Carter.

Also read: “I Didn’t Wanna Rip Tracy McGrady”: Paul George Talks T-Mac, Kobe Bryant, and His Rookie Year in New Podcast

Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter on how they found out they were cousins 

Tracy McGrady was attending a family gathering when he saw his grandmother taking to another elderly lady. He would sit next to this elderly lady and tell her about how he’s currently in the NBA. The lady would then go on to tell Tracy that her grandson was also a basketball player looking to go pro. 

Well, her grandson turned out to be none other than Vince Carter who was in his final year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Boy when she [Vince’s grandmother] said Vincent, I said ‘Vince? Carter?’ I looked at my gramma and said, ‘That makes us cousins?’” said Tracy. 

The ‘97 draftee would then go on to call Carter up from the family function and break the news to him about how they’re related. A pure stroke of luck would then result in the same team that T-Mac played for, going on to choose ‘Vinsanity’ the very next year in the first round out of UNC.

 

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Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter’s time together 

In their first season together on the Toronto Raptors, Carter would establish himself as a premier perimeter threat on the offensive end of the floor. He averaged 18.3 points as a rookie on 45% shooting from the field. Tracy McGrady on the other hand put up 9.3 points per game in his sophomore year in 22.5 minutes of play. 

After missing the Playoffs in 1999, the Raps would win 45 games in the 1999-2000 season play against the New York Knicks in the first round of the Playoffs. The experienced and battle-hardened Knicks would go on to sweep the Raps in the first round, leading to T-Mac’s exit from the team that summer.

Also read: “He Ain’t Play Against Michael Jordan Yet”: When Bulls Legend Was Offended By ‘Player of the Year’ Snub