Some younger Kobe Bryant fans find this hard to believe, but there was a time when Kobe and Tracy McGrady were considered equals. Guys of the same talent level. But their careers diverged: Kobe was winning rings with Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol and talented role players, while Tracy McGrady was stuck on some pretty weak teams and then his body started to break down.
What if the roles had been reversed?
McGrady was on the Jay Mohr show on Fox Sports Radio and talked about if he had been paired with Shaq, as transcribed by Steve DelVecchio at Larry Brown Sports.
This is a pure hypothetical, a barstool discussion; we have no real idea how that relationship would have worked out inside the pressure cooker of the Lakers in that era. Having a great relationship with Shaq off the court and trying to win with him on it are different dynamics.
It’s unfortunate we will never know how far McGrady could have taken a good team, because he never really got that chance.
