Throwing Shade on the Likes of Lebron James and Stephen Curry, NBA Legend Groans Over “Jacking Up” and “Terrible” Nature of the NBA

Tracy McGrady hasn’t gone one-on-one with NBA players in over a decade. But that hasn’t stopped him from taking on a few NBA stars figuratively. The prolific scorer answered GQ’s questions about the current stars in the NBA while promoting his tournament, the Ones Basketball League. T-Mac had some strong opinions about the NBA’s system of recruiting players and some of its most popular players such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry. In contrast, McGrady is trying to give more people the opportunity to get noticed in the game of basketball.

The retired NBA star has launched OBL, a one-on-one tournament complemented by a four-part docu-series, Bonder By Ball: Inside the OBL. The OBL will showcase talented athletes with dreams to make a career in basketball. According to McGrady, these athletes impress him more than some active NBA players.

Tracy McGrady lacks interest in the NBA and dragged LeBron James into the conversation

Tracy McGrady was brutally honest about the NBA and its current players with GQ. Recruited straight out of high school in the 19997 NBA draft, he made his professional debut at 18. The seven-time NBA All-Star played 16 seasons during which he established himself as one of the finest shooting guards in history.

McGrady was formidable in a game of one-on-onestephen . As he told GQ, a good few NBA players he’s played with or against don’t have the mental tenacity to play one-on-one. He went on to say that a lot of the current class of NBA players don’t really love the sport. According to him, they’re talented but only play for a sizable contract. It’s one of the reasons why the NBA has lost its charm for T-Mac.

“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t watch a lot of it. I will watch playoff time, when everybody is pretty much locked in. Throughout the season? No. I don’t watch too much NBA. I watch more college basketball.”

Watch This Story: Is Joel Embiid Leaving Philadelphia Moments After ‘Someone Else’ Comment Caused Havoc 213000000 76ERS Star Comes Clean on the Cryptic Message

When pressed about what makes basketball at the collegiate level so thrilling, he said that these young players “play hard.” McGrady has noticed an intensity in the college athletes that he feels is lacking in NBA pros.

The 44-year-old even took a subtle shot at the revolution brought on by Stephen Curry. “It’s competitive basketball,” McGrady said about college games. “I’m not saying the NBA is not competitive, but it’s too much of everybody shooting threes. You’re jacking up and taking terrible basketball shots. I don’t see that on the college level.”

The retired athlete didn’t name names about who was “jacking up” and playing poorly. He, however, had a lot to say about reigning stars. More specifically, he questioned if James Harden’s decision to leave the Sixers made sense when he has better chances at a championship where he was.

McGrady even got the gossip mill into overdrive regarding LeBron James. He hinted that King James is going to lead the NBA’s expansion team in Las Vegas. If that’s true, James could be rolling in dough.

The former Houston Rockets star is trying to achieve the opposite with OBL. He wished high school athletes could get a chance at the NBA as he did. So he wants to give these budding athletes a platform with the high stakes of one-on-one basketball.

READ MORE: Billionaire Lebron James Turns Frontrunner to Splash Millions in Vegas on Lifelong Dream, Says Rockets Legend: “Heard It Through the League Channels”

Only time will tell if McGrady’s predictions for the NBA come true. In the meantime, see him take raw talent to new heights in his upcoming documentary, Bonder By Ball: Inside the OBL, premiering on Showtime and Paramount+ on July 28.