The NBA, a league in which only the best basketball players in the world can claim to play. And yet, a league that can sometimes bring guys together around strong values, such as friendship, teamwork… and even family. A look back at the day Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter learned that they shared common ancestors, a story as touching as it is sympathetic.
A story that makes you smile on Monday morning, that’s what’s good. Both born in Florida, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady have never had a connection or even heard of the other’s existence despite having a common grandmother. It was not until 1997, shortly before the T-Mac Draft, that the two zozos learned that they shared the same blood. In an original context.
With Tracy only weeks away from joining the league, the latter completes his preparation at Chapel Hill, at the prestigious University of North Carolina. To help him polish his basketball, young people from college are made available, including a certain Vince Carter, then still in the NCAA but already followed for his talent by many scouts.
Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady tell the story of how they found out they were cousins ????
(via @TheVCShow)
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 11, 2023
The perfect sparring partner for McGrady, who will be spending a whole week with him… except for Friday, when he signals Vince that he has to go to a family reunion. Ok, no worries, see you next week. Except that an incredible event will then take place: a call from Vince’s grandma. Picking up the phone without really knowing what the reason for this call is, Carter hears a voice he knows well on the end of the line, shouting to him:
“YO GUY SHAPE? WE’RE COUSINS MAN, WE’RE COUSINS” – T-Mac to Vince Carter, via phone
As you can imagine, grandmother left the phone to Tracy, who screams her joy in the ears of a Vince Carter who is completely bewildered by the news. The two boys can’t believe it, and they will become two years later the players of a single team, in Toronto. They will mark, over the course of their respective careers, the NBA with their imprint, with different but equally unique and recognizable styles. The story is wonderful, don’t you think?
Source : The VC Show via Bleacher Report