NBC may have locked in its long-term NBA future with a reported $2.5 billion-per-year media rights deal, but the same certainty doesn’t yet extend to Tracy McGrady. After serving on the network’s inaugural NBA Showtime studio panel alongside Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony, the Hall of Famer reflected on the show’s first season while shedding light on his own broadcasting future.

“I give ourselves a B+,” McGrady told Front Office Sports. “And we have a lot of room to improve. I only did a one-year deal, so we’ll see how that goes moving forward. But I would love to be back.”

McGrady’s contract situation comes at the end of a successful first season for NBC’s return to NBA coverage. Backed by its 11-year media rights agreement with the league, the network reported a 109% year-over-year increase in regular-season viewership across NBC and Peacock, with marquee broadcasts such as Sunday Night Basketball, NBA Tip-Off and the All-Star Game posting some of their strongest audiences in more than a decade.

 The reported $2.5 billion annual figure refers to the network’s rights fee under that deal, which brought NBA coverage back to NBC after more than two decades. While the investment secured the broadcaster’s place in the league’s future, McGrady’s own role beyond the show’s first season remains unresolved.

And although NBC’s overall NBA coverage proved to be a ratings success, the response to NBA Showtime was more divided.

While the network’s game broadcasts drew praise for their presentation and nostalgic production elements, the studio show received a more mixed reception. Critics pointed to the panel’s lack of on-air chemistry, with conversations often falling short of the lively debates and strong opinions that have long defined successful NBA studio programming. McGrady, however, appeared optimistic about the group’s potential, suggesting there was still room to grow after its first season together.

NBC has not publicly indicated whether it plans to retain the current studio lineup for next season, and the one-year structure of McGrady’s deal gives both sides flexibility moving forward.

Before joining NBC, the seven-time All-Star had previously worked as an analyst for ESPN and made occasional appearances on TNT, giving him experience across multiple NBA broadcast platforms.

Even as his broadcasting future remains undecided, McGrady has already committed to another project aimed at shaping basketball’s next generation.

The Hall of Famer has partnered with legendary sneaker executive Sonny Vaccaro to revive the iconic ABCD Camp, purchasing an 80% ownership stake while Vaccaro retains the remaining share. The invitation-only showcase, which ran from 1984 to 2006, once served as one of the country’s premier proving grounds for elite high school talent, with future stars including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and McGrady himself passing through its doors.

The revived camp, backed by Adidas, will feature 60 of the nation’s top boys’ and girls’ prospects and will remain focused solely on basketball development. “ABCD is just strictly a basketball skills camp,” McGrady said. “We’re not transitioning to anything further than that. It’s this brand that Sonny started 30, 40 years ago is what we’re going to continue to live by.”

The project carries particular significance for McGrady, whose own breakout performance at the 1996 ABCD Camp dramatically elevated his draft stock before he was selected No. 9 overall in the 1997 NBA Draft. Reflecting on that experience, he summed up its impact simply: “My life changed overnight.” The camp’s return will also be accompanied by a documentary produced by Carmelo Anthony’s Creative 7 Productions.