Tracy McGrady again confirms he wanted to sign with Kentucky out of high school

NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady won’t stop breaking Kentucky fans’ hearts about his decision to enter the 1997 NBA Draft out of high school.

In a story that is seemingly brought back to life every offseason, the seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA scoring champ confirmed in a 60 Days of Summer feature by the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017 that he nearly signed with Kentucky out of high school before Adidas came swooping in with a $12 million offer to push him toward the professional route.

“I go through my high school career and I’m an NBA Draft prospect,” McGrady said in the interview. “I remember the day my high school coach called me into his office. There was a lot of buzz about me being a lottery pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, but me, I wanted to go to Kentucky. That’s where I wanted to go to school, I wanted to be a Wildcat.”

At first, his high school coach tried to sway him with the idea of playing against NBA competition every day in practice rather than college standouts in Lexington. When McGrady shut down the idea initially – again, he was absolutely set on going to Kentucky – his coach came in with the final $12 million haymaker.

“He’s sitting me on the floor and he’s like, ‘You’re going to the NBA,'” said McGrady. “I’m like, ‘Nah, nah. I’m going to Kentucky.’ He’s like, ‘Joker, you want to Kentucky versus playing against the best players in the NBA, in the world?’ I was like ‘Man, I always wanted to be a Wildcat.’ He said, ‘Well what if I told you this: Adidas has a $12 million contract ready for you.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Adidas is offering you $12 million over six years.’

“I said, ‘I can always go back to Kentucky when, you know, (I’m done with the NBA). Yeah, let’s make this jump to the NBA.'”

so tracy mcgrady yet again confirms that in 1997 he was dead set on going to kentucky, but the bag was too alluring

im fine

(source: @Hoophall) pic.twitter.com/CfRiA5S57V

— J. Kyle Mann (@jkylemann) July 2, 2021

Just last year, McGrady went on the “All the Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson and discussed his official visit to Lexington in 1997 and how he left knowing UK was the place he wanted to be.

“I wanted to go to college, bro. I was going to Kentucky,” McGrady said at the time. “I took my visit to Kentucky and Derek Anderson was my host. I pulled up to the Kentucky campus, bro, and I seen them boys got them fully-loaded Eddie Bauer (vehicles) outside.

“I said, ‘Hold up, brother. This is where I’m going right here. I don’t want to go do no more visits.’ The player lounge where they stayed, everything was plush. I said, ‘Bro, I’m coming. I don’t want no more visits. This is where I’m going.’”

And then Adidas came calling.

“Time goes by, I’m playing my season, my name is getting stronger. Sitting in my coach’s office, and he said, ‘I know you want to go to Kentucky. I know you want to go to college but after I tell you this, you’re going to forget all about it.’ I said, ‘Tell me what?’ ‘I’ve got a $12 million deal for you.’ I said, ‘From who?’ He said, ‘From Adidas.’ I said, ‘Ah, sh*t, let’s sign.’…My college dream went out the window. I signed for that bag. That was it.”

Between McGrady, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Kemp and Daryl Dawkins, Kentucky’s all-time ‘what-if’ team is absolutely filthy.