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Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant were good friends during their time playing together in the league. Their friendship continued into retirement.
In an interview with Kevin Garnett on Showtime's "KG Certified," McGrady recalled the time he went to Paris with Kobe Bryant to work on their individual skillsets and footwork. However, Kobe, being the competitor that he was, spread a rumor about beating Tracy in a 1-on-1 game.
For McGrady, he saw it as Bryant trying to get in his head because his competitive nature didn't end on the basketball court.
"I learned at a young age that he loves playing mind games with you," McGrady said, "just to test you. I learned that early."
During an interview with Rachel Nichols on ESPN's "The Jump," the two scorers made friendly banter with one another. Kobe apparently was keeping score during his workout with Tracy McGrady, without his friend's knowledge.
Because of his scoring prowess and elite footwork, Kobe Bryant made players work hard when it came to guarding him. When he was in his prime, he was a tough match-up for anyone in the league.
Besides the physicality, however, Kobe brought it as well with how he wore players down from a mentality standpoint. Because of his sheer mental toughness, he outplayed many players on the court from talking smack to dropping 30 points on a team's best defender.
Tracy McGrady was no walk in the park to check defensively for Bryant. Nicknamed "T-Mac," Tracy had the complete offensive package as an elite three-level scorer. He had a long wingspan and the height to shoot over most defenders in the league.
Tracy McGrady talks about the impact Kobe Bryant had on him during his early years in the NBA
In an interview with Rachel Nichols on ESPN's "The Jump," Tracy McGrady talked about what he picked up from Kobe during their years playing in the NBA.
"I had to get his work ethic," McGrady said, "because I was a little bit more reserved and never been around somebody who worked as hard as he did. I learned that from him. I had the athleticism, but the work ethic part, I had to get from being around him."
In Kobe Bryant's 20 seasons playing for the Lakers, he had his best season during the 2007-08 season. Kobe secured the MVP award that season by averaging 28.3 points per game (45.9% shooting, including 36.1% from 3-point range), 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
Meanwhile for Tracy McGrady, he reached his prime when he played for the Magic. He had his best season during 2002-03 season. Tracy averaged 32.1 ppg (45.7% shooting, including 38.6% froim 3-point range), 6.5 rpg and 5.5 apg.
