Former Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets great Tracy McGrady was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday, capping off a great 15-year NBA career.
Unfortunately, McGrady’s true potential was never really reached due to injuries, but he still managed to make seven All-Star teams in his career.
When McGrady was at his best he was often compared to former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, as they both had an ability to score in a variety of ways and were virtually unstoppable when they were at their best.
After McGrady’s inducted Bryant took to Twitter to congratulate one of the best competitors he ever played against:
Well deserved Tmac. You were a beast in every aspect of the game. I hope your kids know and appreciate how cold their pops was #HallOfFame
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) September 10, 2017
McGrady may have been Bryant’s biggest rival as far as the best pure scorer in the league in the early 2000s, as McGrady won back-to-back scoring championships with the Magic in 2002-03 and 2003-04.
The ninth overall pick in 1997 out of Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina is one of the best players in NBA history to not win an NBA Championship, but his career was cut short by injuries as he was forced to retire at the age of 32. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while being named to seven All-NBA teams.