The NBA is the single most competitive basketball league on the face of the Earth, meaning just a handful of hoopers actually get a chance to play significant minutes.
That makes it even more difficult to stand out from the rest of the pack, let alone play on a championship team.
That’s why multiple legends have had to walk away from the game without winning a championship.
And even though today’s ring culture tends to look down on those kinds of guys, there’s still plenty of respect for some of them.
Tracy McGrady is one of them, as even though he was never able to get past the first round of the playoffs when he was in his prime, he’s still considered one of the legends of the game.
In a recent interview with GQ (via Legion Hoops), T-Mac admitted that his basketball legacy would be quite different if he had won a ring.
Tracy McGrady:
“If I had won a championship, I think my legacy would be a lot different. I don’t know how much of a difference because I’m internationally known. I sell shoes on a global level; I have a brand on a global level.”
(via @PatBevPod, https://t.co/wziV5qiFoz) pic.twitter.com/Q5McXWxujR
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 27, 2023
Even though he’s a world-known figure with a global shoe brand, he knows people would’ve thought differently of him if he had won a championship.
McGrady is one of the most talented offensive players of all time, and there was a legit time when people debated whether he was a better scorer than Kobe Bryant.
But injuries, poor supporting casts, and some tough luck often stood in his way to actual playoff success.
Even so, judging players for their championships — or lack thereof — might be as unfair as it is insufficient, and we should consider the whole picture when talking about their careers and legacies.
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