Tracy McGrady enshrined into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame
What's the story?
Former Orlando Magic All-Star Tracy McGrady was enshrined into the Orlando Magic Hall Of Fame on Tuesday.
In case you didn't know...
McGrady's 62 points against Washington in 2004 remains a Magic single-game record. He also holds three of the team's four highest scoring efforts. The only players to score more points during their tenures in an Orlando uniform are Dwight Howard and Nick Anderson, both of whom played more than twice as many games as McGrady did with the Magic.
The heart of the matter...
Tracy McGrady has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this past September and has reached the absolute pinnacle of accolades celebrating his career. Even after that, McGrady was deeply moved by this gesture which meant more to him that he could express.
"Yes, I got inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, but today is special to me," McGrady said. "On a personal level, growing up in Auburndale, Florida, my mom used to drive over here every summer when I was playing basketball in Orlando ... and I used to tell my mom, I would tell my friends that I was going to be wearing this uniform one day."
Magic CEO Alex Martins told McGrady during the ceremony, “To say you represented the Orlando Magic well would be a vast, vast understatement,".
Drafted in 1997 by the Toronto Raptors, McGrady went onto play 15 seasons in the NBA. He is a 7-time All-Star, a run that started with each of his four seasons with the Magic. He remains as Orlando's franchise leader with a scoring average of 28.1 points per game.
McGrady won jersey No.1 in honor of his favorite player while growing up – former Orlando star Penny Hardaway. "Nobody had to do any recruiting, I knew I was coming home.", said McGrady.
What's next?
Tracy McGrady still continues to a part of the Orlando Magic Organization as special assistant to the CEO alongside his duties as an ESPN analyst.
Author's take
McGrady's peak years of his career started when he joined the Orlando Magic. He played some terrific basketball there and therefore it is befitting that he be included in the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.