Tracy McGrady Believes He Was On Equal Footing With Kobe Bryant During His Playing Days

Tracy McGrady is part of a small group who’ve played in the All-Star game multiple times and secured the NBA scoring title twice. Not to mention, he can take pride in being recognized as the most difficult matchup Kobe Bryant had to face during his illustrious career, a claim endorsed by the five-time NBA champion himself.

Even though McGrady may not have achieved the same level of team and individual success as Bryant, the former Orlando Magic superstar still characterized himself as a top-tier talent and a multi-faceted player during his peak, averaging 28.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on 44.6% shooting from the field in four seasons with the Magic.

Midway through their careers and into retirement, the narrative pivoted towards Bryant as the more superior player. Despite this widely accepted viewpoint, McGrady, during an appearance on The Pat Bev Podcast, pointed out that he was on par with Bryant during their playing days in the league.

“That was a conversation of who was the best players in the league,” McGrady said to Patrick Beverley. “It was me and Kobe — of barbershop talk and around the league. Real hoopers, real basketball people know.”

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— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) July 25, 2023