23 years ago, Tracy McGrady made headlines for an unusual reason while representing the Orlando Magic at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando. During a home clash against the Sacramento Kings on 13th March 2001, the 6ft 8″ guard ended up in a fight with Bobby Jackson on the court. It resulted in a forceful suspension from the NBA alongside a financial loss of over $200,000 for McGrady.
Advertisement
It all started when the referees stopped the play during one possession with McGrady preparing to shoot a jumper. Upon hearing the whistle, T-Mac intentionally hit Jackson with the ball before spreading his arms to welcome a response from his opponent. The Kings’ point guard subsequently let his anger take over as he shoved the Magic’s shooting guard, further escalating the altercation.
In response to the shove, McGrady ran at Jackson and body-slammed him on the court after putting him in a chokehold. The players soon intervened in the fight to separate their teammates.
After this instance, the league decided to suspend McGrady for the next two games, against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Vancouver Grizzlies respectively. In addition to that, he was fined $10,000 for his on-court antics against the Kings. Based on his $9.6 million per year salary that year, the two-game suspension resulted in a total financial loss of over $240,000 for the 7x All-Star.
The outcome of the Kings clash added to the misery of the player as the hosts lost 114-108 in overtime. Despite playing for over 49 minutes, T-Mac failed to help his team win the game. His double-double stat line of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists fell short as the Magic’s record fell to 34-29 with the defeat.
The night was marked as one of a kind in McGrady’s career as the NBA star improved his on-court displays immensely since then. Over time, his actions started to highlight his maturity as an individual as he learned rapidly from the past. The league also recognized him for that as he received NBA’s Most Improved Player award that year.
The instant consequences of the suspension of Tracy McGrady
Other than impacting McGrady on a personal level, the suspension cost the franchise big time. After all, the playoffs were knocking at the door and the team needed its talisman to ensure wins to reach the postseason. So, the two-game absence initially came in as a huge blow for the Florida organization.
The team’s then-head coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that as he publicly mentioned, “I was surprised it was two. I assumed it would be one. I told Tracy that, too. Obviously, this is not good for our team”.
“No one is going to take Tracy’s place, but as a group we have to pull together. It’s difficult but that’s the way it is,” he further added.
Eventually, the Magic would thrive in the absence of T-Mac as they won 97-87 in Cleveland. Following that, they defeated the Grizzlies 103-99 in front of the home crowd. The franchise ended the regular season with a 43-39 record to reach the playoffs. Yet, their run in the post-season was cut short after a first-round defeat.
