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Tracy McGrady

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Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr. (born May 24, 1979 in Bartow, Florida), nicknamed T-Mac, is an All-Star professional basketball player currently playing for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association.

Contents

High school career

McGrady plays both shooting guard and small forward, and is also one of the first players who went from high school (Mt. Zion Christian Academy) straight to the NBA without attending college. He created national buzz after his performance in the Adidas ABCD Camp, to which the best high school players in the nation are invited annually. He was named high school Player of the Year by USA Today.

NBA career

Toronto Raptors (1997-2000)

McGrady was selected ninth overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause had arranged a draft-day trade to send Scottie Pippen to Toronto for the 9th overall pick, which he would have used to take McGrady. Krause decided not to make the deal when Michael Jordan threatened to retire if it was made. [[Citing sources citation needed]]

The teammate and cousin (by marriage) of Vince Carter, McGrady often found himself in Carter's shadow, whose dunks made him an instant star. McGrady even assisted Carter in the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, an event in which McGrady also was competing. While Carter was responsible for scoring, it was McGrady's job to be the team's defensive stopper and ball distributor. The duo of Carter and McGrady led the Raptors to their first playoff berth in the 2000 Playoffs, but they were swept by the New York Knicks in 3 games.

Orlando Magic (2000-2004)

The Toronto Raptors made a sign-and-trade deal which sent McGrady to the Orlando Magic in exchange for a first round draft pick in 2000. In the 2000–01 season, he won the NBA Most Improved Player Award and was selected as a starter in the All-Star Game. In the 2002–03 season, McGrady captured the NBA scoring title, averaging 32.1 points per game, becoming the youngest player to do so since the NBA/ABA merger. In the 2003–04 season, he once again captured the NBA scoring title, averaging 28 points per game and set an NBA career high when he scored 62 points against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2004. With this performance, he became the 4th player in the past 12 years to score over 60 points in a game. Despite McGrady's personal accolades, the Magic had failed to reach the second round in the playoffs, and in his fourth season as a Magic, problems with team chemistry, coaching, and management forced Orlando into a downward spiral. The season ended with Orlando failing to reach the playoffs and an impatient McGrady seeking a possible trade.

McGrady was ranked #75 on SLAM magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.

Houston Rockets (2004-current)

On June 29, 2004, McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines were traded to the Houston Rockets in a seven-player deal that sent Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic. In his first year in Houston, McGrady teamed with 7'6" Chinese center Yao Ming, to end the season ranked 5th in the Western Conference. The season started slow for the Rockets when McGrady could not seem to fit in Coach Jeff Van Gundy's offense. By mid-season, Van Gundy altered McGrady's role and made him the primary offensive option over center Yao Ming. On December 9, 2004 he scored 13 points in the last 35 seconds of a game against the San Antonio Spurs, including the game winning 3 pointer with 1.7 seconds left in the game, the Rockets won 81-80. [Video]

McGrady has been named to the All-NBA First Team two times, and the All NBA Second Team three times. McGrady is considered one of the most successful prep-to-pros players ever, following in the footsteps of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal. His popularity has him following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan with his own signature shoe line with Adidas, the latest model being the TMAC 5. However, a common criticism on McGrady is the fact that none of his teams have ever advanced past the first round in his NBA career. McGrady was selected to the 1st Annual 2005 All-Dunkadelic Second Team and the H.S. Phenom All-Time Dunkadelic First Team in 2006.

Despite McGrady's play in the 1st round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs in which he arguably outplayed Dirk Nowitzki, Houston was eliminated in game seven by 40 points.

In the early 2005–06 season, McGrady missed eight games because of a lingering back problem. His back problems resurfaced on January 8, 2006 when he had to be taken out at halftime in a game against the Denver Nuggets on a stretcher to hospital because of severe back spasms. He had been out for five games. Since his return, the spasms have still been a problem for McGrady. In the 2005–06 season the Rockets were 2–15 in games he did not play in and 2–16 in games McGrady did not finish. While McGrady was injured for five games with his back injury, the Rockets did not win a single game. Other injuries include him falling on his tailbone in a game against the Indiana Pacers. The Rockets were relying on their second top scorer Yao Ming to lead them on to the playoffs, a quest in which they were not successful.

Personal

He and his fiancée, Clarenda Harris, have a daughter, Layla Clarice, and a son, Laymen Lamar who was born December 27, 2005 during the 82-74 loss against Utah Jazz in which he left during halftime to see Harris going into labor. Despite living in Houston, he keeps a house in Orlando, Florida.

During the NBA All-Star Weekend which was held in Houston, Tracy McGrady had mentioned that he was struggling to cope in the NBA, facing friend and family problems which were not specifically mentioned. Despite this, McGrady still performed well during the All-Star game, being the top scorer with 36 points and also scoring a basket from half-court.

Player Profile

McGrady is one of the most talented scorers in the NBA. He won back to back scoring titles (2003,2004). Tracy is also a very unique player to guard, as he plays shooting guard at the size of 6'8" (although many have stated that he is actually closer to 6'10". At his offensive peak, only Kobe Bryant could match up with McGrady offensively. McGrady's career has recently been hampered by back problems, although he is still on of the NBA's top scorers and more popular players.

NBA career achievements

* First Team: 2002, 2003
* Second Team: 2001, 2004
* Third Team: 2005
  • NBA Most Improved Player Award: 2001
  • NBA regular-season leader, Player Efficiency Rating: 2003 (30.3)

    • Orlando Magic franchise records

    Trivia

    External links

     

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