Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter discussed that they were cousins.Tracy McGrady And Vince Carter (Image Credits: Imagn)
Before they became NBA stars, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady unknowingly shared more than just their Florida roots and basketball talent. There were cousins, and neither knew about this until just before the 1997 NBA draft. Both crossed paths often in AAU circuits and Summer runs, but the family connection was a complete surprise.

The moments unfolded after a week of pickup games in Chapel Hill, where McGrady told Carter he couldn’t make Friday’s run because of a family reunion. Carter stayed back for summer school. A call soon after from his grandmother threw him off, but it was not her voice on the line.

“You don’t even understand how excited I was when I heard this, man,” Tracy McGrady said to Carter on the podcast. “Because, I’m telling you this is, post-being on Team Florida, watching you, I told you it was the inspiration, then I’m playing pickup ball with y’all, I go home and I run into your grandmother, I was like, ‘Hold up, bro, we cousins?”

The unexpected call marked the beginning of a kind of pairing in Toronto. Carter joined Tracy McGrady on the Raptors in 1998, and the duo quickly became one of the NBA’s most exciting young talents. Their on-court chemistry reflected something more profound, with the family bond becoming much more.

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Tracy McGrady shares concerns about Team USA's futureTracy McGrady (Image Credit: Getty Images)

At 35, McGrady considered making an NBA comeback after retiring in 2013. Though past his prime, he still believed his skills and experience could help a team. He said he would have joined Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers if given the chance.

Tracy McGrady and Kobe were close friends, and he felt the older, post-injury Kobe would remain an easy contender to play with. “This Kobe, I could play with him,” he said. He also believed the league became less skilled, which gave him an edge.

Despite his confidence, coaches and former executives doubted his return, but his heart was still in the game, and his return hope remained just that, a dream.