Tracy McGrady is about to enter the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame. Even in four short years, he put in some memorable performances worthy of Hall of Fame induction.
Tracy McGrady spent 15 seasons in the NBA, out of his 15 seasons it was his four years with the Orlando Magic that fully showcased his abilities and athleticism.
Coming from the Toronto Raptors and searching for a larger role and a chance to star, the Orlando Magic provided that opportunity when they tried to pair him up with Grant Hill and Tim Duncan in a free-agent superstar trio. McGrady was the lesser of those three.
Orlando whiffed on Tim Duncan (for various reasons) and Grant Hill never was fully healthy. That left McGrady to blossom. And he blossomed into one of the best players in franchise history and perhaps its greatest scoring threat ever.
When McGrady was in Orlando it was arguable he was the best player in the NBA. At his prime level, he competed with Kobe Bryant as one of the best NBA perimeter players.
In McGrady’s time with the Magic, he averaged 28.1 points per game, while grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game and giving out 5.2 assists per game. In addition to that, he put in some of the most memorable individual performances in Magic history.
It was a short four years for McGrady in Orlando. Ultimately the team results disappointed as Orlando never got out of the first round in McGrady’s superstar tenure in Orlando.
But it is also fair to say McGrady is the first player in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame truly associated with the Magic.
Despite the disappointing ending to his career, McGrady gave the Magic a bunch of highlights and some spectacular plays. Here are some of the few performances that made McGrady so much fun to watch as a player.
And a more-than-worthy addition to the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
Career-High 62 points against the Washington Wizards
On March 10, 2004, Tracy McGrady had one of the best games in his career. While dropping 62 points against the Washington Wizards, McGrady also added 10 rebounds and five assists. McGrady shot very well that night shooting 20-37 (54.1 percent) from the floor.
He led the Orlando Magic to an 108-99 victory against the Wizards. This was the first 60-plus point game for the Magic and still stands as the single highest-scoring game in Magic history.
It was a difficult season for McGrady and the Magic throughout that year. Orlando would win only 22 games and finish in line for the top pick in the draft. Eventually, McGrady would force his way out and demand a trade as the Magic seemed set to rebuild.
But throughout that final year, McGrady continued pouring in dominant scoring performances. Despite the team’s poor record, McGrady remained a starter for the All-Star Game and averaged a league-best 28.0 points per game.
The Magic were not bad for lack of McGrady trying. McGrady was about the only reason to come to the TD Waterhouse Centre every night.
What made the feat more impressive was not only how the Magic needed every single one of those 62 points to hold off Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards. It was that his teammates egged him on to keep scoring. McGrady was in one of those zones where he was not going to miss. He even hit a half-court shot for kicks (although that one did not count).
For one rare moment in that season, the Magic were lead on SportsCenter as McGrady’s individual brilliance shined.
McGrady Game-Winning layup with 2.7 seconds remaining
Another great memorable Tracy McGrady moment happened on March 28, 2001 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Orlando Magic took a 96-95 victory while McGrady dropped 44 points, nine rebounds and six assists. It was not just the numbers he put up that made this night remarkable, McGrady led the Magic to a win with a game-winning layup.
"“It’s just time for me to step up down the stretch of this season,” McGrady told the Orlando Sentinel at the time. “I was going to find a way for us to win. I just knew we were, even when we fell behind. I’ve been in this situation, and failed too many times, this season. This one was mine.”"
Tracy McGrady was still establishing himself in the league at this time. He had been an All-Star but was not quite the household name he would become. Toppling Allen Iverson in a scorer’s duel — Iverson had 37 points in the game — was a major national statement.
The game-winning layup tied McGrady’s then-career high in points. It also became McGrady’s first game-winning shot of his career, though this was not his last game-winning shot. But this is what made this one very special.
And Orlando needed the win too. The Magic would finish that season with the seventh seed in the Playoffs. And this late-season win proved important in not only establishing McGrady’s credentials as an elite player but getting his team to the postseason. Proving McGrady could be a leader for this young team.
2002 NBA All-Star game dunk off the backboard
During the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, Tracy McGrady unleashed a dunk that brought the whole house down and became perhaps his most iconic and enduring moment.
McGrady threw an off-the-glass alley-oop to himself!
The play looked as if he was going to just push the ball up the floor like most NBA plays happens, but McGrady tossed the ball from the 3-point line off the glass with his left hand and dunk it with his right hand through traffic.
It was revolutionary, even for an All-Star Game. And a move McGrady even tried in a future game against the Toronto Raptors (successfully too).
For a player on a somewhat struggling team, this highlight was a major announcement from McGrady to the national stage.
Yes, he was already scoring a ton in the league and made a name for himself through his scoring prowess. But now he was truly a superstar. His signature shoe from adidas would come shortly after. And McGrady would be a face for the entire league.
In that All-Star Game, McGrady scored 24 points. It was one of the best All-Star performances in team history. Really only topped by his performance in the 2003 All-Star Game the following year. He did an encore of his off-the-backboard dunk in that game too.
This was McGrady’s year and he made sure to let the world know about it.
Downing the Milwaukee Bucks in Playoff overtime
The Orlando Magic’s mini-rivalry with the Milwaukee Bucks in the early 2000s was incredibly one-sided. The Bucks were the veteran team hungry to contend and ready to burst through. Their 2000 defeat of the Heart and Hustle team got them into the Playoffs and put them on a path to contention. It sent the Magic to free agency.
Really the rivalry was more a personal one between George Karl and Doc Rivers, the coaches for the two teams at the time.
But the number of losses from the Bucks made the 2001 Playoff series between the two teams an emotional one. The seventh-seeded Magic were not a favorite to win the series. They were hoping to get a game. And facing a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five series, they would need a superhuman performance from McGrady to get that lone game.
Luckily he delivered in what is perhaps his best Playoff performance in a Magic uniform.
McGrady scored 42 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed eight rebounds in a 121-116 overtime victory to extend the series. McGrady played all 50 minutes in the game and carried the team to that cathartic victory. It felt like the Magic were back and ready to grow.
The fact the Magic lost a 14-point lead in the final five minutes but held on in overtime. It was a cathartic win that broke an 11-game losing streak to Milwaukee.
McGrady was writing his story in the postseason.
52 points in three quarters
Tracy McGrady had several prolific scoring performances throughout his career with the Orlando Magic. The 62-point performance chief among them — as you read earlier.
But his best performance might have been one that was cut a bit short. Cut short because he only needed three quarters to do his work.
McGrady scored 52 points in three quarters against the Chicago Bulls in February 2003. It was a statement game from a superstar dealing with change.
The Magic had traded Mike Miller a few days earlier. McGrady was a bit despondent to see one of his best friends on the team dealt. Orlando was trying to mix things up in a contentious Playoff race (Orlando would finish eighth).
McGrady got over it with this masterful performance. He scored 52 points on 15-for-32 shooting, making six 3-pointers and 16 of 20 free throws. This was McGrady in a fit of rage and scoring at his absolute best. The Bulls were done after three quarters in the 110-96 Magic victory.
Orlando saw lots of McGrady playing like this. But never quite like this. Never just dominating a team on his own like this.
These scoring outbursts were part of what defined McGrady’s legacy and made him a Hall of Famer.
What are your favorite Tracy McGrady memories? Share them in the comments below!
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Philip Rossman-Reich contributed to this report.