Vince Carter found out Tracy McGrady is his cousin after his grandmother's call

Vince Carter, who recently retired from the NBA with a record 22-year long career, revealed that he found out Tracy McGrady was his cousin after a call from his grandmother. Last month, Carter appeared on the All The Smoke podcast, where he recalled the story of him finding out about McGrady is his cousin. Both NBA stars started their career with the Toronto Raptors, and are Florida natives. 

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Vince Carter cousin: How did Carter know Tracy McGrady was his cousin?

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Vince Carter cousin: Vince Carter's story about finding out Tracy McGrady is his cousin

On the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Carter revealed that he and McGrady found out they are cousins while at the University of North Carolina. Carter joined the NBA after college, while McGrady directly declared for the draft. Carter revealed that McGrady would go for the draft and return for the workout where he wanted to play pickup. As nobody would offer McGrady his locker, Carter let him use his locker as they knew each other while playing AAU ball and pickup together. One day, McGrady said he would be going to a family reunion by skipping practice. Carter had one too, but he was skipping as he had to play pickup in school. It's there that McGrady met Carter's grandmother, who told him about Carter studying at North Carolina. 

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On the podcast, Carter added that they called often after they found out they are cousins, and often talked about the NBA Draft. When Carter left to join the Raptors, he said having McGrady there helped. Former Raptors teammate Dee Brown referred to them as 'Siamese twins' while talking about their bond. Carter's grandmother had explained that her father-in-law is McGrady's grandmother's brother, which made Carter and McGrady second cousins. 

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The Raptors drafted McGrady in 1997 as the ninth overall pick. A year later, they drafted Carter as the fifth overall pick. McGrady left the team in 2000, amid reports of a fight with his cousin. However, they both reconciled later on. The seven-time All-Star then went on to play for the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs before retiring in 2013. Carter, who is considered as one of the best dunkers in the NBA, played for the Raptors till 2004 before moving to the New Jersey Nets. He played with multiple teams during the second half of his career before playing his final two seasons in Atlanta.

(Image source: NBA official website)