Published 18:12 IST, May 19th 2020
Vince Carter recalls chance meeting when he found out Tracy McGrady was his cousin
NBA veteran Vince Carter recalled the time he found out Tracy McGrady was his cousin. Carter and McGrady both played for Toronto Raptors between 1998 and 2000.
NBA duo Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady appear to have a lot in common. Both hail from the state of Florida, both started their NBA careers at Toronto Raptors and both are linked to the same family. Vince Carter is a distant cousin of Tracy McGrady and neither of them realised their family connections until 1997.
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Vince Carter reveals hilarious story about finding out he was related to Tracy McGrady
Currently in his final NBA season at Atlanta Hawks, Vince Carter appeared on the All The Smoke podcast where he recalled the hilarious incident of how he found out Tracy McGrady was his distant cousin. Vince Carter told during the podcast that he found out McGrady was his cousin during his junior year at the University of North Carolina. Unlike Carter, McGrady declared for the draft right after high school. During a short span before joining the NBA, Carter revealed McGrady trained with Carter during his time at Carolina. The Hawks star even shared his locker room with Tracy McGrady, without knowing the fact the two were related.
At a family reunion in Atlanta in July 1997, McGrady, who graduated from Mount Zion Academy in Durham, North Carolina was approached by Carter's grandmother who happened to discuss basketball with McGrady. One thing led to another and McGrady discovered that Carter was, in fact, his distant cousin. Carter's grandmother explained that her father-in-law is the brother of McGrady's grandmother, making Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady second cousins. Carter revealed he received an instant call from Tracy McGrady, after releasing they were cousins.
In 1997, McGrady was drafted by the Raptors as the ninth overall pick. Meanwhile, Vince Carter was drafted by the Raptors a year later as the 5th overall pick. Despite both players showing flashes of brilliance, Carter and McGrady did not shine as a unit. The latter left the franchise in 2000 and it was reported he also feuded with his cousin during their time in Toronto. A seven-time All-Star, McGrady played for the likes of the Rockets, the Knicks, the Pistons and the Spurs before retiring in 2013. Vince Carter, widely recognised as one of the best dunkers in the NBA, played for the Raptors between 1998 and 2004. The 43-year-old is an eight-time All-Star and played for the Mavericks, the Suns, and Orlando Magic before finding his way to Atlanta. Last year Carter announced his decision to retire at the end of the 2019-20 season.
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Updated 18:12 IST, May 19th 2020