Photo by Andy Hayt\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
Snkrs Day: Speaking of dunks, you and Vince\u2019s performance in the 2000 Dunk Contest still stands amongst the best ever. What type of collaboration or competition went into your dunks beforehand?<\/strong><\/p>\nTracy McGrady:<\/strong> It was me being pissed off that he really wanted me to be in it \u2019cause I knew he was going to fucking win it! [Laughs<\/em>] It was me the whole time rolling my eyes at him like, \u201cReally, why do you want me in this?\u201d I knew he was going to win because I\u2019d seen a lot of those dunks in practice. We never practiced the dunk between the legs off the bounce. We never practiced that. That was just off the fly at the Dunk Contest.<\/p>\nSnkrs Day: I almost feel like Wiggins learned from that watching Zach Lavine before the Dunk Contest in practice.<\/strong><\/p>\nTracy McGrady:<\/strong> Yeah man, that dude is nasty. Last year\u2019s Dunk Contest is one of the best I\u2019ve seen. Absolutely, they brought it back.<\/p>\nSnkrs Day: Kenny Smith said during the 2000 Dunk Contest that Muggsy Bouges should\u2019ve been throwing you guys the passes. [Laughs<\/em>] You and Muggsy were both recently nominated to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Tell us what that means to you.<\/strong><\/p>\nTracy McGrady:<\/strong> I can\u2019t even lie, but never growing up was that a dream or a goal because I didn\u2019t know what the hell the Hall of Fame was at that time. I didn\u2019t know about it until I got to the NBA. It\u2019s just a testament of what I brought to the game. You know, putting up big numbers, being exciting. I know everybody can\u2019t win a championship, anybody can, but everybody can\u2019t get in the Hall of Fame and to be nominated on this year\u2019s ballot is definitely humbling.<\/p>\nSnkrs Day: Going back to the Christmas games, Sunday the NBA\u2019s current crop of talent will be playing in special edition Christmas shoes while you broadcast the game. If you could redo one of your signature shoes in a Christmas theme, what would the concept be and which shoe would you pick?<\/strong><\/p>\nTMac’s “Grinch” take on Christmas?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTracy McGrady:<\/strong> It would probably be my patent leather TMAC 3s. As far as theme, that\u2019s a good one. I\u2019d probably have the Grinch on there \u2019cause I\u2019m about to ruin somebody\u2019s Christmas. [Laughs<\/em>] I\u2019d probably do one red and one green.<\/p>\nSnkrs Day: You might have to call Packer and adidas to make that happen. Grinch aside, with the holiday season being all about love and joy, does any time, moment or memory stand out as when you really realized you loved the game or had the most joy playing it?<\/strong><\/p>\nTracy McGrady:<\/strong> There\u2019s a moment that really resonates with me that it\u2019s more than just a basketball game and the impact that we have on people that watch the games. That\u2019s when the little kid from DC who was one of the victims of the DC sniper said he wanted to meet me and we made it happen. We actually brought him down for a Christmas game when we played the Detroit Pistons on Christmas Day and I dropped 46 for him. That right there is probably one of the greatest times of my life. This kid was the victim of a cowardly act, in a hospital all shot up and his freakin\u2019 wish was to meet me. It doesn\u2019t get any better than that.<\/p>\nNBA coverage on ESPN and ABC begins at 12 PM EST on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas and happy hoops and holidays to you and yours from the Snkrs Day team.<\/em><\/p>\nLead image by Andy Lyons\/Getty Images via Old School 105.3<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
words & interview \/\/ Ian Stonebrook: Tracy McGrady may be the most creative scorer the game has ever seen. Chances…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2415,"featured_media":521026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,1204837,51],"tags":[199,1225503,1204636],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Tracy McGrady Reflects on adidas ABCD Camp & Playing LeBron on Christmas | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n