Back In The Day NBA

Hall Of Famer Tracy McGrady Shows Love For Chicago Bulls Legend Michael Jordan

Shandel Richardson

Anne Ryan-USA TODAY via Imagn Content

Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady appeared to give Michael Jordan the nod as greatest player in NBA history.

McGrady was discussing Jordan on a recent appearance on his podcast. The question was posed after a fan posted this on X, formerly Twitter, about Jordan: "The legend of Michael Jordan is greater than Jordan himself."

That prompted McGrady to respond.

"Tha'ts gotta be these Gen Z people saying that," McGrady said. "There's no way in hell. If you didn't see Michael Jordan play, stop talking about who he's played against. We've got to stop that, oh, he was out there playing with plumbers. The guy is not 6-9, 270 built like LeBron playing against these guys. Michael Jordan is 6-6, 210 dominating. He's not a freak of nature. So why does it matter who he's out there competing against. That shouldn't matter. He's just better than everybody else. Go watch."

Many consider Jordan and LeBron James as the top two players to throne as best player in league history. Jordan wins most debates because he has six championships while James counters with four titles and the NBA's all-time scoring record.

Still, appears McGrady is leading toward choosing Jordan in the everlasting debate.

"Just study his game," McGrady said. "He was incredible. It was nothing like I've ever seen someone on a basketball court. I've seen the greats of the greats ... He was that great."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com.

Published
Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com