Tracy McGrady was established as a rising superstar in the NBA when LeBron James came into the league in 2003. And like many other top talents in the league, he wanted to ensure he didn’t fall behind the hyped-up newcomer.
LeBron James took to the NBA with ease, living up to all the expectations. And that led to one of Tracy McGrady’s friends betting that the rookie would outscore T-Mac when Orlando played Cleveland that year. McGrady told the story of how he responded.
“Well, first and foremost, I had a bet with one of my guys,” McGrady said. “One of my childhood friends talking about, ‘Yo, bro, Bron coming to town, got all the hype behind him, can’t let him outscore you. I got a bet that he’ll outscore you.’ My own childhood friends.
“Bet… Bet. Think I’m about to let this young fella come into Orlando and outdo me? C’mon bro, you must be out of your rabbit-a** mind. Never. Respect? Nah, you gotta get this work, bro. I can’t go out like that.
“Bron was hitting some tough-a** shots that game. He hit one on me in the corner. And I was just looking like, ‘Really? Alright, come on down this way. Give me the ball.’ That’s what I was on, that’s what he was on, I loved it.”
The story behind T-Mac's Christmas Day '03 matchup against Bron makes the performance even better. https://t.co/8cuCejMg0x pic.twitter.com/An3xDNs9FD
— SLAM Kicks (@SLAMKicks) June 10, 2022
This is an epic story, and the game he’s talking about was even more legendary. Both the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers were struggling that season, but that didn’t matter on Christmas day. LeBron James scored 34 points, shooting 13-28 from the floor and dishing out six assists. And McGrady was as good as his word, he outdid LeBron by scoring 41 points on 15-29 shooting and getting 11 assists in a 113-101 win.
Tracy McGrady’s Takes On LeBron James Have Changed Over The Years
LeBron James wasn’t getting outdone by other stars for long, he became the face of the league pretty quickly. He’s been an All-Star every year except his rookie season, and Tracy McGrady hasn’t always been the biggest fan. He has praised LeBron, once calling him the best in the league and picking him as the player to build a franchise around.
But there have been times he has talked down on the King. He wasn’t too high on LeBron James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record, which he was universally praised for. And Tracy McGrady once said Kawhi Leonard was better than LeBron James too. At least he got one over LeBron when the two clashed in his rookie season.
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