"He could do everything I could, but he was 6'10" - Kobe Bryant crowned Tracy McGrady as the toughest player he guarded in his career
kobe-and-tmac
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant didn’t have many equals during his career, but talented forward Tracy McGrady was definitely one of them. McGrady was a unique combination of size and skill, and although the Black Mamba faced many other great scorers in his career, he crowned T-Mac as the hardest player he’s ever had to guard.
During an interview prior to his passing, Bryant revealed Tracy’s rare skillset gave him the most problems when trying to slow him down.
“There’s a lot of guys, but the guy that always gave me the most problems, actually, was Tracy McGrady. He had all the skills and all the athleticism, but he was 6’10”, and he was really tough to figure out. He could do everything I could, but he was 6’10”. He had no weaknesses in his game; he could score from anywhere and defend. He’s the hardest player I have ever had to guard,” the late Laker legend said.
Looking in the mirror
Kobe’s comments, in a lot of ways, stem from looking in the mirror at attributes similar to those that McGrady shared with himself.
Many consider Bryant the most skilled scorer of all time, but in a large majority of basketball purists’ eyes, T-Mac wasn’t far behind when it came to the natural ability to get buckets.
McGrady was as raw as it comes as an offensive threat, but unfortunately, his aptitude as an all-time great was largely lost in the game’s history and their fans because of his prime being cut short by injuries.
In what transpired into one of the bigger “what ifs” in league history, McGrady’s body succumbed to a multitude of injuries that prematurely ended his prime.
An appreciation for the eras
It’s widely known that Bryant was a student of the game who made it a mission to apply what he observed from previous eras to his own game.
With that, Kobe grew a fond appreciation for all the great scorers across the eras, especially the ones he was fortunate enough to compete against.
“I can go by eras, actually. So Allen Iverson was just really, I mean, he was a lot to deal with. There was a game where he dropped 44 on me in Philadelphia. There was a game in New Jersey where Stephon Marbury dropped 50 on me. There was a game Gilbert Arenas had 60. Carmelo Anthony is always tough for me to deal with. You know, Kevin Durant’s always tough to deal with,” he said.
Bryant and McGrady shared a close relationship off the floor following both their retirements, and the Black Mamba’s untimely passing hurt T-Mac more than most after all their battles on the floor.
Through such a heartbreaking time, perhaps McGrady drew solace from knowing Bryant held him in such high esteem as the toughest player he has ever checked.