Tracy McGrady is perhaps the most underappreciated scorer of this generation. Guys like Alex English and George Gervin before him were players of similar caliber who simply did not receive the respect that they deserved and quite frankly, should’ve demanded.
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McGrady had everything in his offensive arsenal. He had the verticality, explosiveness off the dribble, the pull-up shooting (one of the pioneers of pull-up 3s off the dribble), and incredible footwork. Kobe Bryant even admitted to having trouble in guarding T-Mac during his heyday.
Tracy in Orlando was the most potent version of himself as he was a legitimate, Hall-of-Fame level 3-level scoring threat. He averaged 32.1 points per game during the 2002 NBA season and was quite frankly unstoppable. So, putting his offensive brilliance on display on nationally televised Christmas Day games was a no-brainer.
Tracy McGrady has had the most 40-point games in Christmas Game Day History?
Tracy McGrady holds the record for having the highest point per game average on Christmas with 43.1 ppg. However, he also holds the honor of not having one, not two, but three separate games where he’s scored 40+ on X-Mas.
His first was in 2000 when his Orlando Magic faced off against the Indiana Pacers. He dropped 43 on 13-31 shooting from the field, resulting in a loss.
His next would be his 46-point explosion against the Detroit Pistons. The Magic would win this game and their next Christmas Day game in 2003 when McGrady dropped 41 points and dished out 11 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This would be against a rookie LeBron James.
Tracy McGrady in Christmas Day Games:
43.3 PPG
7.7 RPG
4.3 APG
2.0 SPG
48.8 FG%
43.8 3P%
60.4 TS%Greatest Christmas Day Player in NBA History 🎅🎄 pic.twitter.com/UroVSm8TSK
— NBA Muse (@NBAMuse24) December 24, 2022
Who else has scored 40+ on Christmas Day besides Tracy McGrady?
There have been quite a few players who have scored 40+ points on Christmas Day. Dwyane Wade went off for 40 and 11 assists in 2006 against the Lakers, Michael Jordan had 42 against the Knicks in 1992, and Kobe Bryant dropped 42 on 12-30 shooting from the field in 2004 against the Heat in his first face-off against Shaquille O’Neal since the trade.
The highest scoring game on Christmas Day however, is when Bernard King had 60 points against the Nets in 1984. This a record that stands to this day.
