NBA rivalry stories are a thing of legend. Michael Jordan vs Reggie Miller, Kevin Garnett vs Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal vs Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird, and LeBron James vs Kevin Durant, to name but a few.
Advertisement
The stories that have come from the Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant rivalry are also a thing of legend and a source of fascination for all basketball nerds.
Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant were two of the most thrilling and energetic players of their era, and their head-to-head clashes were highly anticipated, rarely, if ever, letting the fans down.
While they never competed in the NBA Finals, their battles were often close and high-scoring, displaying for the world their remarkable offensive talents. Kobe himself recognized T-Mac as one of his toughest rivals.
In a sitdown with Timeless Sports, McGrady discussed what it took to guard Kobe Bryant. “Man, the night before, get your rest because you got a long night of guarding arguably one of the best offensive players, one of the most fierce competitors that we we’ve ever seen.”s
Kobe Bryant averaged 26.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 21 games versus T-Mac. In contrast, McGrady put up 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in those same 21 games against Kobe.
McGrady always looked forward to battling Kobe Bryant and other NBA greats. “When you’re not playing for championships, all we got is our matchups. I take great pride in matching up against these great stars.”
That pride became fuel for him, turning their matchups into mini-Finals of their own. Every possession meant something deeper when he faced the Black Mamba.
While some nights he got cooked, other nights he did the cooking. “I got the best of him sometimes, and a lot of times he got the best of me. But the challenge and the competition is what I really admired and thrive on going up against him.”
That hunger for competition shaped both players’ careers, pushing them to elevate their games.
T-Mac credits Bryant for pushing him beyond his limits. “That’s why you play sports, because somebody challenges you to bring something out of you to make you go deeper than you’ve probably ever went. Deeper than you know, someone has ever made you step into that within yourself.” Few could summon that next level from McGrady, but Kobe did.
Their rivalry never needed trash talk or antics. “Is it just buckets? There was no trash. It was just buckets.” That’s what made it special — not disrespect, but shared genius between two artists with the ball. No gimmicks, just greatness.
That pure basketball ethos defined every meeting they had.
McGrady also admired Kobe Bryant’s mental edge, the one thing that separates the good from the great. “When you look at Kobe and you look at MJ and these guys that are on that tier, it’s an obsession that they have with the game of basketball or with becoming Great. For me to witness that up close and personal, I admire that someone was able to go to that level mentally.”
Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady left behind more than highlight tapes — they left behind a legacy of battles that still spark barbershop debates.
