Tracy McGrady

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Tracy McGrady
Position	Shooting guard/Small forward
Nickname	T-Mac
League	NBA
Height	ft in ( m)
Weight	lb ( kg)
Team	Houston Rockets
Nationality	USA
Born	May 24 1979 (1979--) (age 28) Bartow, Florida
Draft	9^th overall, 1997 Toronto Raptors
Pro career	1997–present
Former teams	Toronto Raptors 1997–2000 Orlando Magic 2000–2004
Awards	7-time All-Star 6-time All-NBA Selection 2-time NBA Scoring Champion 2000-01 NBA Most Improved Player

Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr. (born May 24 1979, in Bartow, Florida), commonly nicknamed T-Mac, is an American professional basketball player currently positioned at starting shooting guard and often switches to playing small forward, which would make him a swingman for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Entering the NBA straight from high school, McGrady eventually became a seven-time All-Star. McGrady's style has been compared to that of George Gervin.^[1] He is also a two time NBA Scoring Champion, winning the scoring titles in 2003 and 2004. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic before being traded to the Rockets in 2004. McGrady was ranked #75 on SLAM magazine's Top 75 NBA Players Of All Time in 2003. McGrady has never advanced to the second round of playoffs in his entire ten year-career despite his six trips to the playoffs: one with the Toronto Raptors, three with the Orlando Magic and two with the Houston Rockets.

High school career

McGrady played all 5 positions in high school at Mt. Zion Christian Academy, and entered the NBA without attending college. He created national buzz after his performance in the Reebok ABCD Camp, to which the best high school players in the nation are invited annually. He was named high school Player of the Year by USA Today.

NBA career

Toronto Raptors (1997-2000)

Due in part to his strong showing at the ABCD camp, Tracy McGrady was selected ninth overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause had arranged a draft-day trade to send Scottie Pippen to Toronto for the 9th overall pick, which he would have used to take McGrady. Krause decided not to make the deal when Michael Jordan threatened to retire if it was made.^{[citation needed]}

McGrady often found himself in teammate Vince Carter's shadow.^{[citation needed]} While Carter was responsible for scoring, it was McGrady's job to be the team's defensive stopper and ball distributor.^{[citation needed]} The duo of Carter and McGrady led the Raptors to their first playoff berth in the 2000 NBA Playoffs, but they were swept by the New York Knicks in three games. The two also participated in the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Orlando Magic (2000-2004)

McGrady will then move to the Orlando Magic. The Toronto Raptors made a sign-and-trade deal which sent McGrady to the Orlando Magic in exchange for a first round draft pick in 2000. In the 2000–01 season, he won the NBA Most Improved Player Award and was selected as a starter in the All-Star Game. In the 2002–03 season, McGrady averaged 32.1 points per game and captured the NBA scoring title, becoming the youngest player to do so since the NBA/ABA merger. In the 2003–04 season, he once again captured the NBA scoring title, averaging 28 points per game, and set a career high with 62 points against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2004. With this performance, he became the fourth player in the past 12 years to score over 60 points in a game.

Despite McGrady's personal accolades, the Magic failed to reach the second round of the playoffs. In a rather infamous moment, during the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Magic (who were an #8 seed) surprisingly took a 3-1 series lead against the heavily favored #1 seed Detroit Pistons. Prior to the fifth game in Detroit, McGrady was quoted as saying that how wonderful it was to "finally be in the second round (of the playoffs)". Orlando, however, lost Games 5, 6, and 7 by an average of 18 points, and Detroit advanced to the Second Round.

In his fourth season with the Magic, problems with team chemistry, coaching, and management forced Orlando into a downward spiral. The season ended with Orlando failing to reach the playoffs and an impatient McGrady seeking a trade.

Houston Rockets (2004-current)

On June 29, 2004, McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines were traded to the Houston Rockets in a seven-player deal that sent Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic. In his first year in Houston, McGrady teamed with 7'6" center Yao Ming, to end the season ranked 5th in the Western Conference. The season started slowly for the Rockets, but by mid-season, coach Jeff Van Gundy altered McGrady's role and made him the primary offensive option over center Yao Ming^{[citation needed]}. On December 9, 2004, he scored 13 points in the last 35 seconds of a game against the San Antonio Spurs, with four consecutive 3 pointers (one of which was part of a four-point play), including a steal and the game-winning 3 pointer with 1.7 seconds left in the game. This helped the Rockets win 81–80.^[2]^[3]

Houston Rockets (2004-current)

Despite McGrady's play in the 1st round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Houston was eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in game seven by 40 points.

In the early 2005–06 season, McGrady missed eight games because of multiple back spasms. His back problems resurfaced on January 8, 2006 when he had to be taken out at halftime in a game against the Denver Nuggets on a stretcher to hospital because of severe back spasms. He had been out for five games. Since his return, the spasms have still been a problem for McGrady. In the 2005–06 season the Rockets were 2–15 in games he did not play in and 2–16 in games McGrady did not finish. While McGrady was injured for five games with his back injury, the Rockets did not win a single game. Other injuries include him falling on his tailbone in a game against the Indiana Pacers.

In the 2006-07 NBA season, McGrady started out slowly, and after missing 7 games with back spasms he visited a doctor. In an interview with TNT, McGrady said that he thought that his body was slowing down. He believed that he could no longer be as explosive as he was in the past due to his back injury. Since Yao Ming was having another breakout season, he was deferring to Yao as the number one option.^[6] However, since Yao went down with a leg injury, McGrady stepped up his overall play, re-establishing himself as one of the game's premier players and by doing so has led Houston to the 5th best record in the league. Despite his recent shooting slump, he continues to find his teammates for the assist. He averaged a career high in assists per game. However, in the playoffs, the Rockets lost their first round series to the Utah Jazz 4-3, again preventing McGrady from advancing to the second round of the playoffs. A tear fell down his cheek during the press-conference after losing game seven 99-103 to the Utah Jazz in the 2007 Playoffs.^[7] Prior to the series with the Jazz, McGrady had stated in an interview with Stephen A. Smith that if he and the Rockets failed to make it out of the first round again, it was "on me."^[8] McGrady is currently under a contract which will end following the 2009-2010 NBA season, and the contract is worth an estimated 21.1 million U.S. dollars per year.^[9]

Personal

McGrady has two children, daughter Layla Clarice and son Laymen Lamar, with his wife CleRenda Harris who he had dated for 10 years. Their son was born December 27, 2005 during a 82-74 loss against the Utah Jazz in which McGrady left during halftime to see his girlfriend going into labor. The couple were married on September 12, 2006 in Mexico.^[10]

McGrady has a close friendship with his teammate Yao Ming.^[11] McGrady and Vince Carter are third cousins; McGrady learned that his grandmother and Carter's grandmother were cousins at a family reunion while he was still in high school and Carter played at the University of North Carolina. The two played together with the Toronto Raptors for two years before McGrady left as a free agent.^[12] After McGrady left he and Vince had a short feud. But this was resolved in a short period of time.^[13]

In 2002, McGrady signed a lifetime partnership with Adidas, agreeing to an endorsement deal that will last through his playing career and beyond.^[14]

Player profile

McGrady is a seven time all star and has made the All-NBA Team six times. McGrady is considered one of the most successful prep-to-pro players ever, following in the footsteps of Moses Malone, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal. Like several other famous basketball players, he has followed the footsteps of Michael Jordan with his own signature shoe line with Adidas. However, a common criticism of McGrady is the fact that none of his teams have ever advanced past the first round of the playoffs in his NBA career.

While McGrady has often been compared to Kobe Bryant due in part to their similar statistics, McGrady's skill set and style of play sets him apart from other players. He is well known for his pump fakes and his ability to create plays off of a screen. During the 2002-03 season, the NBA tried to promote many NBA all-stars and compare them with past greats; they compared McGrady to the silky play of the finger-roll master, George Gervin.^[15]

McGrady visited Seoul, South Korea, Guangzhou, China, Manila, Philippines and Hong Kong in Summer 2006, to promote his exclusive Asia T-Mac 1 shoe. Despite this international trip, he refused to play in the Olympics of 2004 due to security concerns. He also has recently expressed that the NBA should not stage its All-Star Game in New Orleans, because he feels he will not be safe there.

Career stats

Games-721
Games Started-643
Minutes-23,843
Field Goal Percentage-43.9%
Three Point Field Goal Percentage-34.2%
Free Throw Percentage-75.2%
Rebounds-4,283
Assists-3,183
Points-15,317
Blocks-700
Steals-929
Turnovers-1,601

NBA career achievements

2-time NBA scoring champion: 2003 (32.1), 2004 (28.0)
7-time NBA All-Star: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
6-time All-NBA:

First Team: 2002, 2003
Second Team: 2001, 2004, 2007
Third Team: 2005

NBA Most Improved Player Award: 2001

Orlando Magic franchise records

All-Time Free Throws Made (1,819)
Most points in one game with 62 (March 10, 2004 vs. Washington Wizards)
Most points in one half with 37 in the first half (March 9, 2003 vs. Denver Nuggets)
Most points in one quarter with 25 in the second quarter (March 9, 2003 vs. Denver Nuggets)
Most free throws made in one game with 18 (December 25, 2002 vs. Detroit Pistons)
Most points in a playoff game with 46 (in Game 2 of the 2003 Eastern Conference playoffs, First Round vs. Detroit Pistons)
Most three-point field goals made, one half - 8 - Tracy McGrady, Orlando at Cleveland, January 26, 2004

Career records

Career 40+ point games (regular season): 41
Career 50+ point games (regular season): 4
Career 60+ point games (regular season): 1
Career triple-doubles (regular season): 2
Career 45+ point games (Playoffs): 3
Most three-point field goals made, one half - 8 - Tracy McGrady, Orlando at Cleveland, January 26, 2004

Trivia

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

McGrady featured on the cover of NBA Live 07 (2006)

Has several McFarlane Toys action figures based on him.^[16]
Featured on the cover of the NBA Live 07.
Played in the Hurricane Katrina relief game.^[17]
Featured in Mike Jones' music video "Flossin'".^[18]
Spent a day with 10-year-old Daémon Hanna who was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis as a part of ESPN's "My Wish Series" where children with life-threatening illnesses are given their wish to spend a day with their favorite sports superstar.^[19]
Third youngest player in NBA history to reach 14,000 points and 4,000 rebounds.^[20]
Penny Hardaway was his inspiration and basketball hero as a youth.^[21]
Tracy wore braces in his first 3 years in the NBA^[22]
Tracy has been clocked in under 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash.^[23]
Is close to his half-brother named Chance.^[24]
Tracy has never passed the first round of the NBA playoffs in his career.