Tracy McGrady, one of the best and most versatile scorers of his generation, has decided to hang up his NBA sneakers.
McGrady made the announcement on ESPN’s First Take.
McGrady, 34, started last season playing in China then upon his return was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs and was a little-used reserve on the team that made a run to the NBA Finals. My guess is he may play again in China next season, but he says he is done with the NBA.
McGrady ends his Hall of Fame worthy career with an impressive resume — two-time NBA scoring champion, two-time All-NBA First Team, seven time All-Star
McGrady was the No. 9 pick of the Toronto Raptors back in 1997 directly out of Florida’s Auburndale high school. He and Vince Carter teamed up in Canada to make one of the more entertaining teams of the past couple decades. But McGrady burned a lot of bridges north of the border when he bolted for the Magic and signed a massive free agent contract.
McGrady’s best season likely came in Orlando, when in 2002-03 he averaged 32.1 points a game while carrying the Magic, using 35.2 percent of the team’s offense when he was on the court. He had a PER of 30.3 that season (for comparison, that would have been better than everyone in the NBA but LeBron James last five seasons).
There was a time when it was a legitimate debate as to who would have the better career, Kobe Bryant or McGrady. But McGrady started to have health issues and was never on a team he could lift out of the playoffs in the first round. When McGrady and Yao Ming teamed in in Houston it was thought they could form a contender, but both stars were betrayed by their bodies (while they had good role players around them but the team could not advance).
That said, McGrady should be in the Hall of Fame some day, one of the best of his generation and one of the games best pure scorers ever.