Tracy Lamar McGrady, also known by the nickname "T-Mac," was born on May 24, 1979, to Melanise Williford. He was born in Bartow, Florida, but was raised in Aburndale, Florida, halfway between Orlando and Tampa. He was not always a basketball hero. He was often called a two-sport star. His first love was baseball and he had dreams playing in Major League Baseball. His coaches at Aburndale thought that he would be playing in a major league ballpark instead of on basketball courts. McGrady was really good in basketball, however, and after a while, people started to notice, especially McGrady's basketball coach.
McGrady's coach called Coach John Hopkins from Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina, to come watch McGrady play ball. Hopkins came to meet Tracy and his family in Orlando and go to Disney World, and he ended up offering McGrady a scholarship to Mount Zion, which he accepted.
Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady playing against the Washington Wizar...
of the Houston Rockets, being guarded by of the Wa...Tracy soon started his junior year at Aburndale High. He had incredibly high numbers, averaging 23.1 points per game and 12.2 rebounds. Yet despite these stats, the only schools that showed interest in him were Florida and Miami. Little did he know, he would soon get his big break.
McGrady was invited to the annual Adidas ABCD camp in Teaneck, New Jersey. During the senior all-star game, he performed an amazing slam dunk over 6' 9" James Felton. This dunk changed McGrady's life forever. "After I made that Dunk, I had chills run through my body, it's like the moment I knew I had finally arrived." The whole gym went crazy. A newsletter called Hoop Scoop awarded McGrady the title of "Sleeper of the decade." McGrady was ranked #2 in the nation and was named the USA Today Player of the Year. He was even featured in...