Former NBA champion declares Tracy McGrady’s potential was unreached
One-time NBA champion Jason Williams believes Tracy McGrady had the makings of being among the best to have ever laced a basketball shoe but somehow fell short in it.
Speaking on No Media on PlayersTV, Williams, part of the 2006 NBA champion Miami Heat squad, shared that "T-Mac" was so good that had he had the work ethic of his contemporary Kobe Bryant, he would have made the conversation for the greatest ever.
"White Chocolate" said:
"I always thought to myself if T-Mac ... he was so good, that he didn't have to work like Kobe. Is that fair? If T-Mac worked like Kobe, I'm thinking T-Mac might be the greatest ever."
He added:
"T-Mac definitely doesn't get enouggh respect, in my eyes."
Check out what he had to say below, beginning at 5:08:
A solid offensive force throughout his career, Tracy McGrady had to deal with a lot of injuries that stymied his ability to fully soar as a player.
He was selected No. 9 in the 1997 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors, where he spent his first three seasons before taking his talents to Orlando.
It was with the Magic that he showcased his scoring prowess, averaging 28.1 points in four seasons, including a career-best 32.1 points in the 2002-03 season. He also tallied norms of 7.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.5 steals and a block per game during his stay in Orlando.
Tracy McGrady continued with his top-notch scoring when he joined Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets from 2004 to 2010, averaging 22.7 ppg, to go along with 5.6 apg, 5.5 rpg and 1.3 steals.
In April 2008, he underwent surgery on his knee and shoulder and was just not the same player after.
He spent his last four years in the NBA playing for New York, Detroit, Atlanta and San Antonio.
For his career, McGrady had career averages of 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star, a two-time scoring champion (2003 and 2004), and a seven-time All-NBA Team member.
"T-Mac" was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Tracy McGrady says Kobe Bryant should be in top 5 best NBA players all-time
Tracy McGrady's career is often put side-by-side with that of Kobe Bryant. But he is the first to say that he is a fan of the "Black Mamba" and that the latter should be in the top five list of best NBA players of all time of everyone.
In an Instagram post last month, McGrady shared his dismay with some not considering Bryant in the top five of all-time, highlighting how it is just plain disrespectful.
McGrady said:
"They so disrespectful when it come to Bean (Bryant), bro. They talking about he ain't better than MJ... [Well] he's the closest thing to MJ.
"Who else is close to MJ? Ain't nobody else close to MJ. So how was he excluded out of this conversation if he's close to MJ, and MJ is the greatest of all-time? Help me understand that."
The late great Kobe Bryant was a five-time NBA champion, 18-time NBA All-Star, two-time Finals MVP and two-time scoring champion, among others. He finished his NBA career with averages of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists and was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 in his first year of eligibility.