McGrady reflects on Raptors' franchise growth: 'I love T-Dot'
As with his cousin, Vince Carter, feelings toward Tracy McGrady within the Toronto Raptors' fan base are somewhat mixed.
It's mostly love and appreciation for one of the franchise's short-lived legends, but some remain raw since McGrady joined the many stars who fled the north at the first opportunity.
Nevertheless, McGrady was an iconic figure who played an important role at a pivotal time for the Raptors, and the soon-to-be Hall of Famer spoke glowingly about the franchise and how it's grown over the years.
One of McGrady's biggest regrets is that he wasn't around to enjoy what the Raptors became in both relevance and structure.
"I'm jealous of the city, I'm jealous of the players," McGrady said. "Because all that stuff they built around the Air Canada Centre, all of the stuff that they build around was not even there when I was playing there. There's so much activity and entertainment that's around there."
The Raptors' growth isn't just limited to the development around what will soon be named Scotiabank Arena. The franchise itself steadily grew in legitimacy after implementing strong front-office leadership. Under the watch of president Masai Ujiri, the Raptors have posted record highs in wins, made the postseason in four straight years, won three playoff series in their last two runs, and vastly improved their marketability.
Those developments, along with a G-League franchise in neighboring Mississauga and a state-of-the-art practice facility minutes from the main arena, have allowed the Raptors to retain its stars. Had those structures been in place two decades ago, stars like McGrady would have faced fewer hurdles.
"I remember we used to practice way out, way out at this college," McGrady recalled. "And I hated it because when it was snowing, I didn't know how to drive in snow, I was a very inexperienced driver. I'm a Floridian, so I'm up in Toronto, and it's snowing and I got a Ford Explorer trying to maneuver through the snow.
"I don't know where I'm going, it's a big city. It was very challenging when I got there."
But the recent shift toward legitimacy for the expansion Raptors can trace its roots back to McGrady's era. The organization moved out of the cavernous cement tomb then known as SkyDome, into a new basketball-specific arena in 1999, which naturally attracted more fans.
"I saw the shift. Because I played in the SkyDome, and I knew that hockey was the biggest thing up there. So we're playing in the SkyDome, basketball is relatively new up there, there wasn't many people coming. You do something spectacular and it's like crickets in the stadium. So I saw that shift.
"Once we got into the Air Canada Centre, obviously we had Vince (Carter) who was electrifying, and more and more of the fans started engaging into the game. I was there when the shift happened. We were the first team of the franchise to make the playoffs, so that was awesome, and the ACC was buzzing."
Entry into the playoffs and the growing buzz around the Raptors wasn't enough to hold McGrady as he signed with the Orlando Magic after just three years in Toronto. Despite his short history with the franchise, however, McGrady will be happy to represent his Raptors roots when he's enshrined Friday in the Hall of Fame.
"There will be two guys up on the stage tomorrow that was a part of the Toronto Raptors franchise. There's me, and there's Isiah (Thomas). Two Hall of Famers. Awesome. I love T-Dot. I love going back every time. People there are great. The city is great."