A scorer so lethal that he strikes fear into the hearts of defenders all across the league. There’ve been many in the NBA worthy of this honor, and during the early 2000s, that man was Tracy McGrady. Baron Davis recently opened up about the man and revealed how he rarely had any shortcomings on offense.
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T-Mac was a seven-time All-Star and back-to-back scoring champion in 2003 and 2004. While he perhaps didn’t earn that “legend” mark in any team he played for in the NBA, those who played against him know that he was one of the best.
Former Golden State Warrior Davis labeled him as an “offensive juggernaut” on the Podcast P with Paul George. He compared him to modern-day scoring icon Kyrie Irving, suggesting that there was little defenders could do to stop him.
“He’s just like a Kyrie, like, he ain’t got no offensive deficiencies,” Davis said. “Just pull up, three, get to the hole, dunk. Every time he got the ball, it’s live and go in.”
Davis then recalled a particular match where he went up against McGrady. It was the playoffs, and he simply realized that there was no way he was going to match up with him. “I was guarding T-Mac down the stretch in the playoffs, he was just backing me down, shooting over me, like what can I do? This dude’s like 6″9 or 6″10…”
That said, it was the game that elevated Davis’ level and the way he was perceived in the league. Davis described it as a “playoff coming out party”. He realized he was a star, too, and deserved a big paycheck. “That’s kind of how I got my name and, got on the scene, and got my max deal, you know, from that series. Thanks to T-Mac.”
Sadly, T-Mac’s career never sustained at the highest level, and by the early 2010s, he was phasing out of NBA standard basketball. After leaving the Atlanta Hawks in 2012, he went to China, where he got his jersey retired by the Qingdao Eagles. Ask those defending him over in Asia, and perhaps even they’d repeat what Davis said.
McGrady returned to the U.S. with the San Antonio Spurs in 2013, spent a season, and retired from pro basketball. He’ll always be a player the streets will never forget.
