Tracy McGrady was one of the best scorers of his era. The two-time NBA scoring champion had a silky smooth jumper and was an excellent finisher. Regarding one-on-one play, T-Mac was also a beast due to his size, skill, strength, and quickness.
In a recent hypothetical matchup post on Instagram, McGrady was asked how he would do in a one-on-one matchup with the GOAT, Michael Jordan.
“I’m about three inches taller than MJ, so he won’t affect my shot at all,” began McGrady. “He’s cat-quick, so I have to give him some space. But he can shoot the mid-range. He elevates well on his shot. MJ was strong. Again, 7-game series. I think it could go either way.”
T-Mac would enjoy a size advantage over MJ
A race-to-11 one-on-one matchup between prime McGrady and prime Jordan would be a basketball fan’s dream. As T-Mac said, he would enjoy a noticeable height advantage over Jordan.
Although he is officially listed as 6’8″, you could argue that McGrady was closer to 6’9″. And with the three-inch difference, he makes a valid argument that he can shoot over Mike without any problems. Given his skill set, MJ would have had his hands full during this hypothetical showdown.
“I think it would be a good competition, though, because I don’t think MJ has ever faced a guy like myself with the skillset that I have,” added McGrady. “Being 6-9, being able to shoot the ball, the quickness with the ball, the creativity off the dribble with it so it’s all hypothetical, man. Who the fu** knows? I would’ve just loved to play MJ one-on-one.”
Kobe would beat Mike in a game of one-on-one
While McGrady didn’t say who would win in a game between him and Mike, T-Mac is certain that the late great Kobe ‘Bean’ Bryant would beat MJ in a one-on-one game because Black Mamba ‘took’ what His Airness had and enhanced it. Even MJ himself admitted that Kobe was the only player capable of beating him in a one-on-one game.
“If I was in my prime, who would I want to play one-on-one?” Jordan asked in an interview with NBA 2K. “That list is very long. I’d start off with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant in his prime, LeBron in his prime, D-Wade in his prime, and Melo, that’s a good start. I don’t think I’d lose, other than to Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves.”
Mike didn’t mention T-Mac, but McGrady certainly would have given him as many problems as the names he mentioned. At his size, Tracy would be the tallest on Mike’s list, tied with LeBron. But while King James doesn’t have a total offensive game to rely on, Mac’s offensive bag was as deep as those of the best of the best.