Tracy McGrady NBA Legend & Hall of Famer Talks Penny Hardaway, Kobe & Heartbreak | The Pivot Podcast
NBA legend and Tracy McGrady welcomes Ryan, Channing and Fred to Houston for a conversation covering his hall of fame career, brotherhood with Kobe and the darkest times he experienced on and off the court.
The guys joke around to start the show off as Tracy tells the guys that basketball was his 3rd sport growing up and that baseball was his actual best one but that as a junior in high school, he picked up a basketball for the first time and the rest was history.
Sharing tales from his storied career and some of the All-Time greats he played with or met along the way that helped him mold his on court play from Michael Jordan to Penny Hardaway to Kobe Bryant to his coaches to his teammates. Being ranked as the best player in the nation at 18 years old, adjusting to money and fame was part of the transition process. Never winning a championship, Tracy's career was defined by his hall of fame talent and one of the best wings to every play the game known for his shooting skills, scoring, dunking and aggressive defense.
Tracy talks about some of the infamous match ups between him and Kobe and gets deeper into the bond the two shared off the court which he says shaped him as the man and player he was. Opening up about the moment he found out he passed and how it still doesn't seem real, Tracy shares some of their personal moments outside of basketball giving a different look into the person Kobe Bryant was.
In an emotional moment, reflecting back on his career, Tracy opens up about the struggles he faced waiting his entire life and working so hard to be apart of a championship team and how his injury kept him from being apart of the run, ultimately sending Tracy to a very dark place where he didn't talk to anyone for months. Tracy describes the moment he realized he wasn't the player he once was capable of being due to injury and age, and the blows he took to his ego leading him down a path of despair.
Being selected to the Hall Of Fame is the one thing that helped make all the painful moments and losses suffered along the way less of his focus and learned to relish in the moments of his success and understand the power of his legacy. Tracy's proudest moment has always been earning the respect of his peers and the guys he spent his life playing along side, especially a forever impactful statement from one in particular...the last interview with Kobe Bryant when he shared that the best player he ever faced was Tracy McGrady.
