When Tracy McGrady was locked in, he could light up the scoreboard better than anyone. T-Mac had some truly magical moments in the NBA — including his timeless 13 points in 35 seconds in 2004-2005, which helped his Rockets shock the Spurs in the final moments of a regular season thriller. Today (February 20th) marks the 15-year anniversary of another great McGrady performance — and it came as a New York Knick.
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On February 20th, 2010, McGrady made his Knicks debut at Madison Square Garden against the Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden-led Oklahoma City Thunder.
It had been a rough season for T-Mac up until that night. He was traded mid-season by the Rockets after missing 18 games due to a surgery from the previous year. But on that night — he proved that he could still hang with the best in the league.
A past his prime McGrady looked dominant. He scored 26 points, shot 10-17 from the field, and added 5 assists to his game. MSG was going nuts for the seven-time All-Star — with his performance single-handedly helping the lowly Knicks force OT against the top-ranked Thunder.
“We want T-Mac!”
– Madison Square Garden during Tracy McGrady’s Knicks debut this day 15 years ago
McGrady had barely played for a year–but he & the lowly Knicks took KD, Russ, Harden & the Thunder to OT:
– 26 points
– 10-17
– 5 assistsFor a night, it was T-Mac’s Mecca pic.twitter.com/PEAlp6qmcZ
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 20, 2025
The Knicks eventually lost, falling to the lethal trio that would go on to win multiple MVPs. But on that night, the aging lion proved he still had a lot of gas left in his tank.
Tracy McGrady only played 24 games for the Knicks before getting traded again
The February 20th OT loss ended up being Tracy McGrady’s swan song as a New York Knick. He finished the 2010 season having only played 24 games for the team — averaging 9.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
New York then shipped him off to the Detroit Pistons the following season. The Pistons, however, were not McGrady’s final destination either. From Detroit, he went to the Atlanta Hawks, where his PPG game hit a career-low.
He then left the NBA and did a year for the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association. Finally, McGrady joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2013.
That year, the Spurs went to the NBA Finals, allowing T-Mac to play his first post-season minutes outside of the first round. Unfortunately, the Spurs would lose in seven games to a Miami Heat led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
On August 26th, 2013, McGrady officially retired from the NBA after 15 seasons. T-Mac may have never captured a ring, but his influence and legacy in the game will never be forgotten. He will go down in history as one of the most effortless and deadly scorers.
