Basketball fans never get bored of talking or reading about Michael Jordan. Having registered himself as the greatest ever player to have embraced the NBA or to have played the game, Jordan is a 6-time Champion who dismantled each and every opponent he faced in the 90s. Tracy McGrady was one of those players who could’ve played in the 90s with Jordan as per certain trade rumors suggesting him replacing Scottie Pippen.
During an appearance on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast, Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady provided fans with juicy details about his two early encounters with ‘His Airness.’ Moreover, Tracy emphasized how he locked horns against the arguable GOAT of the NBA in his rookie season.
McGrady said, 1997, MJ’s in the playoffs. I think they played against the Hawks. I’m at the game, the playoff game. Bro, I got an opportunity to go in the back by the locker room after the game. So, I’m standing back there. I’m 17 years old, kid. … Mike comes round that corner, bro, I ain’t gonna lie to you. The man had a glow, bro. I swear. Mike, dog, that s*** is real. … Mike came out, I was like, ‘Damn, bro.’ I didn’t know what to say. I was like, ‘That’s MJ, dog. That’s MJ.”
Tracy McGrady on Michael Jordan
He continued, “So, fast forward, I’m on the court with him my rookie year,” the Florida native continued. “It took me about a quarter to get over the fact that it’s Mike, right? But, man, once it wore, you know, that mystique wears off when you’re around somebody for a long time. It wears off. It’s like, ‘OK, s***, let’s get it.’ I damn near had my best game as a rookie playing against him. I almost had a triple-double. In front of 30,000, you know, we played in the SkyDome. 30,000. Mike had them coming in there, bro. And that was the year they had, what, 72-10? We was one of them 10.
“Michael Jordan had about 35. He probably had like 12 on me, easy. I’m like, ‘Man, this Mike, bro.’ I had to get his a** back when he was with the Wizards, though. ‘You a** 38 years old. You putting up 50. You still got game, but you gotta get this work.”
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