Tracy McGrady was an incredible scorer in his prime, he won the NBA scoring title twice in his career. Injuries stopped him from having a very long run, but in the time he was balling, he was one of the most unstoppable forces in the league.
Tracy McGrady, when he was on the Houston Rockets, could score on just about anyone. Guarding him was perilous, and he revealed how he got so good at playing straight up against his defender, mentioning a surprising part of his childhood that helped.
“They were playing one-on-one, cousins used to bully me,” McGrady said on the Knuckleheads podcast. “I got out there one time, started playing. I was OK, but I really wasn’t that good, used to get beat down and bullied.
“Having that opportunity to play against older guys, more experienced guys when I was coming up in my childhood, really gave me the competitive nature that I have. It helped me enhance and improve my individual skills.
“That introduced me to one-on-one basketball from that point on. As I got older, that’s all I did was play one-on-one. That became getting tough and being able to figure out defenses and how they play. Playing through bigger and stronger guys, quicker guys, that was my niche.”
(starts at 2:16 minutes)
There is no better way for a young player trying to improve their game to do it than to consistently play against older and better opposition. The bullying aspect of it may be a bit much, but playing against bigger and better players is the fastest way for anyone to level up their game. Tracy McGrady’s story is an ideal example of that.
Tracy McGrady Said Kobe Bryant Was The Best 1-On-1 Player, But He Could Go Against The Mamba
Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant knew each other even before they got to the NBA. And both took great pride in scoring the basketball against just about anyone that got in their way. McGrady said Kobe was at the top of the 1-on-1 list but that he would be evenly matched with him.
Kobe (Bryant) is definitely at the top of that list… I think it would go back and forth. I think it won’t be a lopsided competition. He’d win some, and I’d win some.
Kobe Bryant didn’t agree with that, he was under the impression that he would destroy McGrady if they played against each other in a 1-on-1. But the fact remains that T-Mac could score with the best of them, however unorthodox his learning process for the same might have been.
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