"Some of those guys I've played with are not considered to be Hall of Famers" - Tracy McGrady not willing to consider former NBA Finals MVP as a future Hall of Famer
Tracy McGrady believes Andre Iguodala's Hall of Fame status is debatable and isn't set in stone. Iguodala is regarded as one of the best role players in NBA history.
If anyone asked a Golden State Warriors or Philadelphia 76ers fan whether Iggy deserves to be in the Hoop Hall, they would probably agree in a heartbeat. However, the rest of the league isn't sold on his Hall of Fame status.
On the Golden State Warriors' podcast "Dubs Talk," McGrady discussed the Hall of Fame status of the players in the Warriors' dynasty. T-Mac said that players like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are surefire Hall of Famers. However, when asked whether Iguodala fell in that category, McGrady said:
"Debatable. It's tough for me to have Iggy in there when some of the guys like Shawn Marion, Jermaine O'Neal, some of those guys I've played with are not considered to be Hall of Famers; it's tough for me to put Iggy in there."
Tracy McGrady isn't entirely sold on the idea that Iguodala should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. He cited the examples of former players Shawn Marion and Jermaine O'Neal, who haven't been inducted into the coveted Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts. He believes if mutiple-time All-Stars like O'Neal and Marion aren't inducted, Iguodala's case is shaky as well.
Tracy McGrady says Andre Iguodala's Hall of Fame status is "debatable"
Full Dubs Talk podcast » bit.ly/3JABBvp https://t.co/jzJEMXhLcK
Marion was a four-time All-Star and an NBA champion with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. He made the All-NBA Third Team twice and finished with 17,700 points and 10,101 rebounds in his 16-year career.
Meanwhile, O'Neal was a six-time All-Star with three All-NBA selections (twice third team and once second team). He won the Most Improved Player award in 2002 and finished with 13,309 points and 7,261 rebounds in his 18-year career.
Shawn Marion & Jermaine O'Neal Were Getting Paid More Then D-Wade & This Was After 06 Championship https://t.co/LnvSkPuc8W
Meanwhile, Iguodala has made the All-Star team just once and has a career total of 13,951 points, 5,128 assists and 6,030 rebounds so far. He is 38 and is often either injured or playing limited minutes, so his totals aren't expected to increase by much.
However, the biggest feather in his cap is the 2015 Finals MVP he won with the Golden State Warriors. The three-time champion won the award in his first title run. Even though many media members and fans believe he didn't deserve it over Curry, it is on Iguodala's resume regardless.
BREAKING: Andre Iguodala wins Finals MVP. He is 1st to win Finals MVP without starting single game in regular season. http://t.co/iCShkzJAaw
Out of the 53 Finals MVP winners in NBA history, practically everyone is destined for the Hall of Fame except Cedric Maxwell and arguably Chauncey Billups. The last retired player to win the award was Dirk Nowitzki (2011), and he will certainly make the Hall of Fame.
Tony Parker (2007) and Dwyane Wade (2006) are also destined for the Hoop Hall. The rest of the FMVP winners are active players: LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will all one day make the Hall of Fame. The only exception to this rule is Cedric Maxwell, who also won the award after coming off the bench in 1981. Andre Iguodala could be on the same boat too.
Tracy McGrady will pick Kyrie Irving over Steph Curry
Tracy McGrady believes flashy handles and off-the-dribble moves are more important than running an entire offensive system. The two-time scoring champion picked Kyrie Irving over Steph Curry because Irving can break down defenders with his flashy dribbling.
On the podcast, Tracy McGrady said:
"I think because we see Steph with his catch and shoot, coming off the screens, I don't think we see as much of Steph breaking someone down, like when the game is on the line in crunch situations, do we really see Steph doing a lot of creativity off the dribble like we do with Kyrie? Like Kyrie has the ball in his hands, the creativity that we see out of him, do we see out of Steph?"
Read: bit.ly/3OJCqVRT-Mac: “Kyrie’s bag is a little bit deeper than Steph’s” 😲
📝 Read: bit.ly/3OJCqVR https://t.co/h8GTrbtiED
Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving are two of the greatest point guards in the league. Curry is known as the greatest shooter of all time, while Irving is known as the best ball-handler the game has ever seen.
The two players have often gone head-to-head, and fans love watching them put on a show. Irving can shoot lights-out as well, while Curry can display his on-ball abilities too. If Irving is the best ball-handler, Curry is arguably second on that list.
Steph Curry vs. Kyrie Irving was one of the most entertaining match-ups I've seen in quite some time. They put on an AMAZING show.
Curry and Irving combined for 86 points while shooting 69% from the field and 68.4% from three-point range. HIGHLIGHTS: https://t.co/Xyym7t5IO3
Tracy McGrady's pick was not well received by fans and media, as he chose a flashy player over a winning one. Curry has three titles and two MVP awards, whereas Irving has never led a contending team to a Championship.
Tracy McGrady has never won a title in his career, so his comments about Curry in crunch time received intense criticism. Fans on social media demanded to see Irving and McGrady's resumes and compared it to Curry's, who is arguably the second-best point guard of all time.