“Kobe Bryant just dunked on the whole state of Florida!”: When Tracy McGrady and the Black Mamba exchanged highlight reel buckets in their heyday

Arun Sharma | 28/11/2021
"Kobe Bryant just dunked on the whole state of Florida!": When Tracy McGrady and the Black Mamba exchanged highlight reel buckets in their heyday

Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant had some amazing battles on court – They produced some of the best rivalry moments one could enjoy 

Orlando Tracy McGrady and no.8 Kobe Bryant were fierce rivals. For a while there, it definitely looked like T-Mac was the better player, Kobe was just in a better team. While in Orlando, McGrady was the leading scorer twice in 4 seasons and was putting everybody in a blender.

The most remembered one though has to be the regular season match-up of 2002, where Orlando were flying high. Defending champions Lakers visited Orlando for a game, and the intensity was that of a playoff final. Both teams trading shots for shots, players trading skill moves for dunks.

One particular moment in the game that has been etched in the memories of the players and the fans alike was the back to back displays by each opposing stalwart.

T-Mac hit Kobe with his signature spin step and dropped him to the ground, scoring on him with ease. Kobe being Kobe, on the very next play took it straight to the hoop dunking on the whole team.

Also Read: “LeBron James and the Lakers are far too old to play defense!”: Rival assistant coach takes major dig at the King’s team for their atrocious defense this season

Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant left their heated moments on court – off it they were the best of friends

Unlike Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant was a softie once he retired. He made his peace with his amazing career, and he diverged into other businesses, and interacted with other players more often. He actually had a lot of interesting stories to share, and was always giving fun interviews.

Tracy too became a lot closer to Kobe after his retirement, becoming a part of the Lakers legend’s coaching program. After Bryant’s passing, T-Mac took it upon himself to clean up his act, and be more present at the camp.

Kobe doesn’t shy away from giving out compliments as well, but there is no doubt he wouldn’t have dished out any while he was still playing. But he holds nothing back in an interview with Rachel Nichols. Tracy is mildly pleased, and no doubt would have enjoyed it more than dropping him during the game.

Also Read: “Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal fought the Spurs into the stands!”: How the infamous Lakers-Spurs brawl led to several ejections in 44 seconds

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Kobe Bryant Tracy McGrady

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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