Kobe Bryant was undoubtedly not only a legendary figure but also an inspiration for millions. Fans wanted to be like him, and players hoped to play beside him. Tracy McGrady who is a former NBA shooting guard played opposite to Bryant during his 15-year-long career. In a discussion with Rachel Nichols, McGrady spoke about how he missed the chance to play with Bryant.
McGrady and Bryant always maintained a good relationship despite being rivals on the court. Their friendship off the court was remarkable and both of them pushed each other to work better. The two are arguably among the best defenders of the league. Both of them made their debut in the NBA a year apart, and McGrady retired three years before Black Mamba.
Tracy McGrady vs Kobe Bryant 🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/saqBXkJpqW
— Coast to Coast Brasil | NBA (@brasilcoast2) November 27, 2021
Furthermore, Bryant mentioned in one of the interviews that McGrady was the toughest guy to guard in his illustrious career. He emphasized that T-Mac had all the skills and athleticism as a great addition to his 6’9″ height. As a result, the Lakers star found it very thought to figure out McGrady’s strategies and perspective on the court.
Additionally, Bryant’s unfortunate death in the helicopter crash came as devasting news for everyone in and out of the community. McGrady spoke about Bryant and his friendship while trying to wipe his tears off. T-Mac said that he was devasted like everyone else, and also stated that his connection with the Lakers star is like no other.
Tracy McGrady revealed that he would have been like Scottie Pippen alongside Kobe Bryant
Tracy McGrady addressed the Los Angeles Lakers rumors in the late 90s to journalist Rachel Nichols. In that era, the word on the street was that the Lakers wanted to pick McGrady and have him in the roaster alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. This was something that the Toronto Raptors star was aware of and he led everyone on with his take in the interview.
He stated, “I was always the type of player like a Scottie Pippen. Share the ball. Defend the best player. That’s what I did in my three years in Toronto. I would’ve been that player alongside Kobe Bryant”. As McGrady spoke about how it would have been if he and Bryant played for the same team, fans were amused.
Prior to this, McGrady revealed the reason why he missed out on this lifetime chance. In his own words, “My career took a turn when I went to Orlando because I had to become a scorer because I didn’t have Grant Hill”. He joined Orlando Magic in the year 2000 and donned their jersey for four years. During this, he won several awards such as the NBA Most Improved Player Award, 2x NBA scoring title, and so on.
During his illustrious career, Tracy McGrady played for seven different teams and won various awards with each one of them. Only if he had been a player for the Lakers too then the dreams of countless fans of seeing him and Bryant on the same team would have been fulfilled.