When Carmelo Anthony sat down with Tracy McGrady on his “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, the conversation went beyond basketball stats and highlight reels. Anthony found himself reflecting on something deeper: the players who didn’t just change how the game was played but also how it felt to be part of the NBA culture in the late ’90s. McGrady was one of those guys, and Anthony wanted the world to know it.
Why Does Carmelo Anthony Credit Tracy McGrady With Shaping NBA Culture?
The discussion featured McGrady alongside former NBA player Rudy Gay and award-winning host Kazeem Famuyide. McGrady opened up about his journey to the NBA, his battles against a young Anthony and LeBron James, managing finances as an NBA player, and more. The episode has already garnered over 210,000 views on YouTube.
When Anthony was asked about McGrady’s influence on his career, he didn’t hold back. “You’re talking about somebody who was; it’s people who impacted the game, right? But it’s people who impacted the culture of the game, right? It’s people who created a culture within the NBA culture, and he was one of them. AI (Allen Iverson) was one of them. You get what I’m saying?”
Anthony then brought up NBA legend Kobe Bryant, explaining how Bryant was different from McGrady and Iverson at that time. “Kobe was a little different at this point in time. He wasn’t the Kobe that we fell in love with. Of course, Kobe was over here, he was doing his own thing, but them two guys impacted the culture.”
The conversation expanded to include other cultural influencers of that era. “Baron Davis was a part of that, Steve Francis was a part of impacting the culture then,” Anthony added. “So, looking at that, it’s like, damn, like I get a chance to be around NBA n*****. But also not just be around them, like, be cool. These n***** is cool. I can say I know Mac. I can say I know Francis. BD, I can say I know.”
How Did McGrady’s Own Inspiration Shape His Legacy?
The discussion about culture began when Anthony recollected how he was in awe when he saw McGrady live in an NBA game for the first time. He also remembered getting a glimpse of the two-time scoring champion walking towards his car or a restaurant that day.
McGrady then shared his own story about meeting his idol, Penny Hardaway. Hardaway took McGrady to his house after the former Most Improved Player watched him live on the court. McGrady recollected how seeing Hardaway’s house and interacting with his idol greatly inspired him.
Today, while McGrady regularly makes appearances on TV as an NBA analyst, he’s also shaping culture through his Ones Basketball League. The league aims to showcase the best one-on-one basketball players in the world.
The league’s mission statement reflects this cultural focus: “OBL’s mission is to inspire and create more opportunity and joy for athletes and fans through a new sports platform that fuses the best one-on-one basketball competition and storytelling with an authentic bond to community and culture.”
The 2022 edition of the league was won by John Jordan, who played basketball for Texas A&M and is a member of their Hall of Honor.