In 1997, the Boston Celtics had the No. 3 and No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft. NBA Hall-of-Famer Tracy McGrady was available in that draft, but the Celtics passed on him both times, drafting Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer with those respective picks.
McGrady reflected on the draft process with the Celtics then, explaining why he didn’t want Boston to pick him while talking with The Ringer’s Ryen Rusillo.
Did @Tmac_213 tank his predraft interview with the Celtics so that they wouldn’t draft him???
He explained the story to @ryenarussillo:
“In college, I was being recruited by Kentucky, and I knew how hard and how tough Rick Pitino was. Rick Pitino had left and become Boston’s coach, and I was like, ‘Ugh, I don’t know if I want to play for Rick Pitino,’” McGrady said.
McGrady further clarified that he wouldn’t have minded playing for Boston, but then-head coach Pitino truly was what turned him off.
“(Boston) was probably my hardest predraft workout ever,” he added. “I wouldn’t mind playing for Boston. I just didn’t want to play for Rick Pitino at that time because he was too tough, man.”
Instead, McGrady was drafted No. 9 by the Toronto Raptors, where he would then go on to become one of his era’s biggest superstars during his time with the Raptors, Orlando Magic, and Houston Rockets in his 15 years in the NBA.
Sam Cassell Reflects on Reggie Lewis’ Death
July 27, 2023 marked the 30-year anniversary of the tragic passing of budding Celtics star Reggie Lewis. Celtics former player and new assistant Sam Cassell reflected on what it was like to find out the day that Lewis died while talking with Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett.
“I’ll never forget that day ever,” Cassell told Bulpett. “I was with the Rockets at my first summer league as a rookie, and we were at the Rocky Mountain Revue. This was before social media and all that, and Rudy Tomjanovich (Houston coach) told me to come to his room at the Embassy Suites. He said, ‘I just want to tell you Reggie Lewis passed away.’
“And before he could say anything else, I just fell to my knees. That was so hard, man.”
Cassell added what his personal connection was with Lewis before his death.
“We grew up in the same neighborhood,” Cassell told Heavy Sports. “My mother used to babysit Reg as a kid. His mother and father were like family to me. I went to school with his younger brother. I know his whole family personally, and they know my whole family personally.
“Everybody from where we grew up felt it hard when Reggie passed away, but it was even harder on some of us. It was harder because some of us were closer to Reggie and his family. You know what I’m saying? It was just like losing someone from your own family.”
Kevin Garnett Questions Execs’ Issues With Jaylen Brown
Multiple NBA executives told Zach Lowe that they didn’t understand why the Celtics paid Jaylen Brown as much as they did.
“I’ve had a couple of people in opposing front offices tell me something along the lines of ‘Are the Celtics really gonna pay their third or fourth or fifth best player all this money?’” Lowe said on the July 25 episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast.
This put off Celtics legend Kevin Garnett, who implied that the only way Brown would fit that description would be if he was playing with some of the league’s best players.
“Huh? Bron, KD, and Steph play for Boston now? Tf,” Garnett tweeted.
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Tracy McGrady Explains Why He Didn’t Want Celtics to Draft Him