Tracy McGrady lived a dream playing for his hometown Orlando Magic. As he was inducted into the team’s hall of fame, he recalled what he did, not what if.
Tracy McGrady had countless memories in an Orlando Magic uniform and playing at the TD Waterhouse Centre (what it was called when he played there). There were scoring barrages that rewrote the Magic scoring books. He still remains the franchise’s all-time leader in scoring average and holds the team’s single-game scoring record.
That is what McGrady did for much of his 15-year career. Four of them he spent with his hometown team.
As he entered the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame last week, he could not recall one specific memory he was fond of looking back on his career. Others brought up his 62-point performance against the Washington Wizards in 2004 or the accolades throughout his career.
McGrady only pointed out one memory.
It happened late in the Orlando Magic’s Game Three overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2001 NBA Playoffs. McGrady had a gargantuan 42-point, 10-assist, eight-rebound performance to get the Magic their lone win in that lopsided series.
He stood at center court and was showered with M-V-P chants. McGrady, it seemed, had arrived as a player. That would not be the last time McGrady would hear those chants from the Magic crowd.
He would finish fourth in MVP voting in the following two seasons. He was an All-NBA First Team in 2002 and 2003 too.
The adulation from Magic fans and the energy pulsating from the TD Waterhouse Centre was just a cascade of noise that rose with each McGrady basket time and time again.
It meant even more to McGrady. This was home.
"“That is exactly what it was — a childhood dream,” McGrady said. “This team came to Central Florida, I instantly became a fan. Those guys that came before me really inspired me. I saw myself one day putting on this uniform.”"
He likely never envisioned putting on the uniform and becoming one of the franchise’s best players.
In fact, McGrady said it was during that last year with the Toronto Raptors in 2000 when he knew joining the Orlando Magic would become a reality. As Tracy McGrady tells it, he told coach Doc Rivers to save him a spot after their last game against each other in Orlando.
Orlando Magic
He said he always knew he would wear a Magic uniform, donning the jersey of the players who inspired him when he was younger.
In a way, he was the first of the Magic generation — a group of players inspired by the Orlando magic both inside and outside of Central Florida. For McGrady it was more important because this was his home.
"“It means a lot to us he grew up wanting to be an Orlando Magic player,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said. “He grew up in this area. The fact he was able to fulfill his childhood dream by playing for us is heartwarming to us. He paid us in dividends a thousandfold in the way he played for us. There isn’t anyone more deserving than him to be in the Magic Hall of Fame.”"
McGrady was born in nearby Polk County and grew up in Auburndale, Florida — roughly halfway between Orlando and Tampa. It was a small community, but close enough to be in the Magic’s young orbit.
McGrady said he remembered going to the 1997 Playoffs and watching Anfernee Hardaway drop 40 points on the Miami Heat to keep the Orlando Magic’s season alive at the time.
Anfernee Hardaway was his inspiration for wearing No. 1, adding a second great player to wear that number in Magic history and adding to the importance of that jersey in the annals of Magic history.
McGrady would soon take his own NBA path shortly after that. Going from Mt. Zion Christian Academy straight to the NBA and the difficult world of being a teenager in the NBA world. The Raptors would develop him slowly.
He eventually would blossom with the Magic, receiving a max contract and joining forces (or so he thought) with Grant Hill. McGrady became one of the best players in the league in his four years in Orlando.
It all came full circle for him doing it at home. This is where he wanted to leave his legacy. And it meant a lot for his hometown team to honor him.
"“It is full circle,” McGrady said. “I used to drive up from Polk County with my mom. Every time I would get to that certain corner I used to smell that damn bread. I was like, OK, we’re in Orlando. I used to pass this arena and I’m going to play there one day. I’m going to be in that uniform. Here we are getting inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame. It’s a gratifying feeling.”"
There were no mixed feelings when McGrady returned to the Amway Center. There have been no mixed feelings at all when thinking about his individual legacy.
McGrady still has a large impact on this team as one of its most popular players.
But there is no getting around the what-ifs in his career. A lot of things that went unfulfilled.
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Grant Hill was never healthy and rarely played with Tracy McGrady as he blossomed into an All-Star. The Magic will never know what it would have looked like to have both these top-five players on the court at the same time.
McGrady never got out of the first round in his time in Orlando. He never had home court advantage in any playoff series. In fairness, he never got out of the first round with the Houston Rockets either.
But the Magic were never able to create a consistent supporting cast around him after the Hill signing capped them out. They struggled to draft young players to surround McGrady and grow with him.
Perhaps this was a detriment of the team’s franchise-gutting moves to clear the cap room to sign Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill and Tim Duncan the summer before.
McGrady tries not to think about the what-ifs. There are too many to name in his career. That includes his bitter exit that he not so subtly hints was not because of Orlando but because of his widely reported riff with general manager Jon Weisbrod.
It is easy to sit around and wonder what could have been.
"“We all sit around and wonder what it would have been like if he had spent the majority of his career here and finished his career off after those four years,” Martins said. “I think if he had, his number would be hanging in the rafters here and we would be talking about the Magic winning a title here.”"
It sounds more and more if McGrady had his druthers, he would have stayed in Orlando forever. It was home after all.
Instead, it can be as important to remember what McGrady did in his time with the Magic. He set records and had four amazing, unforgettable years. Even if they were ultimately unfulfilling. McGrady made them worth it.
And McGrady was living a dream playing for his hometown team.
It may not have lasted as long as he wanted. But standing in the Amway Center hallway seeing the Magic honor him for his time with the team, McGrady was beaming with nothing but pride.
Next: A look back at Tracy McGrady's greatest Orlando Magic performances
He was home and where he always belonged.