50 Greatest NBA Players Without A Championship (Updated Through 2015-16)
By Phil Watson
15. Tracy McGrady
Toronto Raptors 1997-2000, Orlando Magic 2000-04, Houston Rockets 2004-10, New York Knicks 2010, Detroit Pistons 2010-11, Atlanta Hawks 2011-12, San Antonio Spurs 2013
The Toronto Raptors did well with Vince Carter, so with the ninth overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, they went for his cousin, Mount Zion Christian Academy standout Tracy McGrady from Durham, N.C.
It was a growth process for McGrady with the Raptors, who made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 2000, but were swept by the New York Knicks in the first round.
In August 2000, McGrady went to Orlando in a sign-and-trade deal and, wow, did his career explode.
McGrady was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2000-01 and was a four-time All-NBA pick and four-time All-Star with the Magic. He also finished fourth in the MVP voting in 2001-02 and 2002-03. McGrady won the NBA scoring title in both 2002-03 and 2003-04.
But Orlando lost in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2001, the Charlotte Hornets in 2002 and famously to the Detroit Pistons in 2003—when McGrady said after the Magic took a 3-1 series lead that, “It feels good to get in the second round.”
Orlando lost three straight and the series.
The Magic collapsed to 21 wins in 2003-04 and on draft night, McGrady was part of a seven-player trade that landed him in Houston.
With the Rockets, McGrady earned three more All-NBA bids, bringing him to seven, and was picked for his fifth, sixth and seventh All-Star games.
But Houston lost a first-round Game 7 to the Dallas Mavericks in 2005, missed the playoffs in 2006 and lost a first-round Game 7 at home to the Utah Jazz in 2007.
In 2008, the Rockets again lost in the first round to Utah and in 2009, Houston beat the Portland Trail Blazers before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers—but McGrady was out with an injury and missed the postseason.
In February 2010, with McGrady limited to just six games that season, the Rockets moved him as part of a three-team trade to the Knicks. The deal included nine players and a draft pick. New York missed the playoffs and McGrady signed a free-agent deal with the Pistons.
After Detroit missed the playoffs as well, McGrady signed with Atlanta. The Hawks, however, went out in the first round of the playoffs to Boston Celtics.
After playing the 2012-13 season in China, McGrady caught on with the Spurs for the playoffs in 2013.
McGrady played five minutes as San Antonio swept the Lakers in the first round, logged five more minutes in a six-game triumph over the Golden State Warriors in the second round and got in for seven minutes in a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals.
McGrady got off the bench twice for a total of 14 minutes as the Spurs lost to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and he retired at that point.
In retirement, McGrady gave professional baseball a whirl in 2014, pitching briefly for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. He started the All-Star Game in the Atlantic League, recorded a strikeout and retired.
He is part owner of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A affiliate in Biloxi, Miss., that began play in 2015.
The final tally on McGrady’s playoff career:
NBA Finals: 0-1
Conference Finals: 1-0
Conference Semifinals: 1-0
First Round: 1-8
Next: 14. Wilted By Heat In Lone Finals