S³ NBA | T-MAC IS USING THE WRONG STANDARD
McGrady’s legacy was never measured against the 11th man on a championship roster
Tracy McGrady recently argued that a regular-season MVP carries more weight than an NBA championship because championships are team accomplishments. He supported his argument by asking who remembers the 10th or 11th player on historic championship teams.
That comparison doesn’t work for T-Mac.
McGrady cannot compare himself to players like B.J. Armstrong or Will Perdue. Those players were supporting pieces. McGrady was a franchise superstar expected to compete for scoring titles, MVP awards and championships.
His actual competition was Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter.
Kobe, T-Mac and Vince were the elite wing players expected to carry Michael Jordan’s torch into the 2000s. Vince possessed the popularity and athleticism. McGrady had the size, scoring ability and natural offensive talent. Kobe combined individual greatness with sustained postseason success.
That is where Kobe separated himself.
McGrady winning an MVP would have confirmed something basketball fans already knew: at his peak, he was one of the league’s best players. Leading Houston to a championship would have changed the entire conversation surrounding his career.
Kawhi Leonard is the perfect example. Leonard has never won regular-season MVP, but his two championships and two Finals MVPs elevated him into the top-25 or top-30 discussion. His 2019 championship run in Toronto carries more historical weight than most regular-season MVP campaigns.
A championship ring earned as an end-of-the-bench player does not outweigh an MVP. McGrady is correct about that. But that was never the standard applied to him.
The real comparison is not McGrady’s hypothetical MVP against Will Perdue’s championship ring. It is McGrady’s hypothetical MVP against Kobe Bryant leading championship teams.
T-Mac wasn’t competing with role players for historical recognition. He was competing with Kobe, Vince and eventually Dwyane Wade. For players at that level, championships are what separate individual brilliance from all-time greatness.
