Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 69 – Tracy McGrady

Career: 1997 – 2012

Achievements: All-NBA (7x); All-Star (7x); Most Improved Player; two-time scoring champion

The start to Tracy McGrady’s career was about as good as it gets. He began slowly, averaging just 11.1 points across his first three seasons in Toronto. Then he found his way to the Orlando Magic and he took off, making seven straight All-NBA teams and averaging 28.1 points per game in four seasons in Orlando, and 22.7 points per game across six seasons in Houston.

McGrady was a natural scorer, the kind of player who could get his shot off from anywhere. His athleticism let him play above the rim with dunks and clever finishes, and his shooting touch let him hit jumpers out towards the 3-point line, if never quite very efficiently from behind it. He twice led the league in scoring, including a thunderous 32.1 points per game in 2002-03, the fifth-highest total since 2000.

It was in Houston playing alongside Yao Ming that McGrady’s career took a turn for the worst. Back, shoulder and knee injuries began to add up, before they steamrolled into chronic issues that completely derailed his career. He was never the same after that, putting a sudden stop to a career that was heading towards the top.