Tracy McGrady: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Shooting Guards (Basketball Biography Books)

Can there be such a thing in basketball as too much talent?Outside of the basketball court, we frequently talk about those who get too talented, too quickly. Some people grow up to be natural geniuses. However, these geniuses coast on their talents and never become diligent or mature enough to fulfill their potential. Sometimes, they get surpassed by those of lesser talent, but who have learned to work hard thanks to their lack of talent. “Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard.” That’s a saying that applies to today’s reality. No matter how much talent you have, hard workers always trump your talent whenever you don’t work half as hard as they do.

When we look at Tracy McGrady, you could argue that he was the most talented shooting guard ever – maybe even above Jordan and Kobe. There was nothing McGrady could not do. He was a bigger wingman than any other superstar shooting guard in history. He was just as athletic as any other great off-guard the league has ever had. Plus, T-Mac had the skills that could rival those of Mike and Bryant. While McGrady’s high school career was not very distinguished, the potential that he showed at a single basketball camp was so immense that he went straight from high school to an NBA lottery pick. After several seasons as a role player, McGrady eventually developed into one of the premier superstars in the NBA and led his teams to regular season wins and the playoffs season after season. While McGrady was blessed with more natural talent than almost all NBA players, he was cursed to have some of the worst teammates for any NBA superstar. When he played for the Toronto Raptors in the early part of his career, he was a teenager playing alongside Marcus Camby, Doug Christie, Damon Stoudamire, and his cousin Vince Carter. At that point in his life, he was seldom used and was merely a role player who was trying to get his huge break as a star. When he played in Orlando, he was paired with the often-injured Grant Hill. It was when he moved to Houston when he was able to play for a good playoff team as he was teamed up with the 7’6” Chinese center, Yao Ming. However, injuries to him and Yao hindered the Rockets from playing their best.