Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady was very close friends with Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
So it shouldn't shock anyone that McGrady was in tears talking about Bryant on ESPN's “The Jump” on Monday:
"[Kobe Bryant] used to say all the time 'I want to die young'…'I want to be immortalized'…'I want my career to be better than Michael Jordan's' and I used to just think he was so crazy for saying that."
-Tracy McGrady on The Jump pic.twitter.com/hVRXa4RIRV— ClutchPoints NBA (@ClutchPointsNBA) January 27, 2020
Bryant gave McGrady a huge compliment in his book titled, “The Mamba Mentality.” Kobe said McGrady, who averaged 19.6 points per game during his illustrious career, might have been his hardest matchup during his playing days.
Before injuries took a toll on his body, McGrady was a walking bucket. He was a two-time scoring champion and seven-time All-Star. The Florida native averaged 32.1 points per game during the 2002-03 season with the Orlando Magic.
McGrady scored an amazing 13 points in 33 seconds against the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. Just like Bryant’s 81 points versus the Toronto Raptors, McGrady’s performance that day will live in infamy.
Bryant and McGrady are two of the greatest scorers in NBA history and often worked out with each other during their playing days. One can imagine just how competitive those workout sessions were between McGrady and Bryant.
Bryant had career numbers of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists with the Lakers. Kobe was an 18-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP and won the regular season scoring title twice as well. He will undoubtedly go down as the great Lakers player of all-time.
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