SUMMARY
- Rudy Gay reveals why Tracy McGrady did not like him and the difficulty of stopping T-Mac.
- Kobe Bryant wished to play alongside McGrady during their time in the league.
Former NBA star Rudy Gay recently revealed that there he felt a mixture of respect and fear when it came to Tracy McGrady. To those who might now know, Gay was in the NBA until last season and is best known for his time with the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs.
During a recent podcast alongside Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Gay was asked to talk about the hardest players that he ever had to guard. Not only did Rudy do that, but he also shared a story about an interaction he had during the very beginning of his basketball career and how it impacted his view on the game. That said, a closer look at his thoughts is certainly required.
Rudy Gay thinks Tracy McGrady was one of the toughest players to guard
While appearing on air, Rudy Gay was instructed not to mention NBA legends such as Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, or LeBron James before he was asked about which player was his toughest defensive assignment.
Although there were a lot of elite scorers who dominated the league throughout Rudy’s career, he ended up claiming that T-Mac was the toughest player to guard. Moreover, the former NBA star shed light on his first-ever interaction with McGrady on an NBA court.
“I think it was T-Mac. T-Mac was tough. He did everything…But um T-Mac I think he hated on me. Well, he ain’t like me cuz I got drafted there. I guess they thought I was his replacement. So let me tell you this story. That was the first preseason game I played in. So I come off the bench I get in so T-Mac looking at me…I see him look at me. He’s like (nods head). This ni*ga gave me 40 in preseason bro. He had only played 20 minutes.
Since Rudy Gay was initially drafted by the Houston Rockets, which was Tracy McGrady’s team at the time, and traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, one can understand why T-Mac wished to establish his dominance over Rudy Gay. Although McGrady is no longer in the league and never won an NBA championship in his career, he is still viewed with respect by other former and current NBA stars.
Several other NBA legends including Kobe Bryant admired Tracy McGrady
It turns out that Rudy Gay is not the only former NBA star who respected or admired Tracy McGrady. Even the late Kobe Bryant considered T-Mac to be an elite star. During an interview a few years ago, Bryant revealed that he would have loved to play alongside McGrady back when they were still in the league.