NBA legend Kobe Bryant went back-and-forth with Tracy McGrady in front of Rachel Nichols about their one-on-one scores
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In the early 2000s, two NBA stars dominated the league with their offensive prowess. Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. The two stars were drafted one year apart and had an eerily similar skillset. In 1996, Kobe Bryant was drafted as a 6’6″ guard, whereas McGrady was drafted in 1997 as a 6’9″ forward.
Once, in an interview, the late Lakers star claimed TMac was one of the hardest people to guard because he could do everything he could but was 6’9. However, injuries derailed McGrady’s career, causing him to retire early.
In 2019, the two stars sat down with Rachel Nichols for an interview with ESPN’s The Jump. In that interview, the two spilled the beans about each other and still discussed about their Europe tour together, and their epic one-vs-one battles.
Tracy McGrady claimed Kobe Bryant didn’t recall the scores accurately
The Black Mamba, as we know it, was one of the most competitive players the league had ever seen. His desire to be better than everyone else on the court propelled him to greatness.
In the same interview with Rachel Nichols, $70 million worth Tracy McGrady talked about how Kobe didn’t even remember the names of the places where they were playing. Using this as an argument, he tried to dispute the one-vs-one scores that Kobe was sharing.
However, Kobe, being himself, said,
“The country may be off. I may forget a lot of things, but one things I’m not going to forget is the score. 11-3”
Continuing, the Mamba tried to console McGrady and said,
“It’s okay though, it’s alright man. You got an off day. It happens to the best of us man. It didn’t happen to me that day.”
Well, that’s Kobe for you. The man won’t remember where he’s playing, but as long as you put him on a basketball court, he’d remember every single detail about the game, even though it happened 21 years ago.
Even though the Mamba left us, it’s gems like these that make us still feel close to him.
