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The ABCD Camp was the premier summer event for 22 years in the ‘90s and early 2000s. Basketball legend Sonny Vaccaro founded the camp in 1984, and the stories and matchups to come out each year changed the trajectory for some players. The camp ended in 2006, but Tracy McGrady and Vaccaro revived it 20 years later, and 50 of the top players in the country came out to compete over the weekend. Kobe Bryant was the camp MVP in 1995, and in 2001, it was16-year-old LeBron James who solidified himself as the best prospect in the nation. James stole the ball from Lenny Cooke and hit the game-winner, a one-legged 35-foot jumper, in the championship game. James’s nickname “The Chosen One” resulted from the ABCD Camp.
Tracy McGrady: 'My duo, I'm going LaMelo Ball and Ant-Man. I'm going LaMelo because LaMelo is very entertaining, he's flashy, and then Ant-Man, what he brings to the table with the swag... I just think the two together, man, it's just going to be fun to watch, very exciting. They going to be going at dudes next on that basketball court and talking sh*t, doing it, taking names. I just think the excitement that we going to see from both of them is going to be something special to watch this year.'
Retired former NBA All-Star Vince Carter made an interesting revelation this week on the latest episode of his “Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady” podcast. Carter said that he had interest from NBA teams to continue his playing career but decided to walk away from the game instead because of “politics.” “Even after Year 22, I still received a couple of phone calls with interest to come play that next year,” said Carter. “I wasn’t able to do it how I wanted to do it and walk away when I was ready to walk away. The politics of it now took over and I was like ‘Nah,’”
AJ Dybantsa on his NBA player comparisons: "Some people say younger Paul George. I have heard a bigger Shai, I have heard a bigger Jalen Brunson. But the most accurate one I have ever got was Tracy McGrady. I think he was just super uber-talented, being 6'9, jumping over people to shoot, being a windmill, and being super athletic. I think that is kind of me."
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Tracy McGrady is bringing back a piece of basketball history. The seven-time All-Star is reviving the legendary ABCD camp with Sonny Vaccaro, the sneaker executive and founder of the camp. McGrady, who will own 80% of the camp, and Vaccaro, who will retain the rest, spoke to Front Office Sports about the revival in recent interviews. “It was only because of Tracy McGrady that I’m doing this,” Vaccaro told FOS. “He had the most impact on what I did because he was probably the biggest underdog. He was so close to not being invited because of other people’s opinions of him.”
“Looking at the landscape of summer basketball I felt like we were getting away from traditionally how camps need to be ran,” McGrady told FOS. “You had to earn your right to be at ABCD. And nowadays it’s a lot of relationship-based, a lot is just handed to these kids instead of making them work…This property is missed from what is going on in summer AAU basketball. Had some conversations with Sonny, he agreed to that and I was just like, ‘let me take it over.’”
McGrady could have a new home as an analyst next season. He told FOS that his deal with NBC was only for one year and it’s currently unknown if he will return to the network next season. McGrady was part of NBC’s pre and post-game team with Maria Taylor, Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony, which drew mixed reviews from critics. Before joining NBC, McGrady worked as an analyst for ESPN. NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “I give ourselves a B+,” McGrady said of the group’s performance. “And we have a lot of room to improve. I only did a one-year deal, so we’ll see how that goes moving forward. But I would love to be back with the camp.”
Tracy: “If you have a center like Zack Edey, who is slow-footed on the defensive side of the ball, you need your power forward to be able to cover some ground for him defensively. I think you could have two guys in your front court that are slow-footed, can't really cover that much ground. So, when you're playing a team like OKC or San Antonio, who can spread you out with shooters. They can't cover that ground.” Vince: “You need more of an athletic big for that pick. So, Caleb Wilson fits that mold a little better than that one.” Tracy: “That's what I feel. I don't think it's a bad pick because of the player. I don't think he fits what they already have there. I would love to see a more athletic, long, lanky type guy that can stretch the floor and cover Zack Edey on the defensive end.”
Tracy: "The Chicago Bulls were trying to make a trade. If anyone watched ‘The Last Dance,’ they were talking about trading Scottie Pippen around that time in 1997. I was going to be a part of that deal. They called me the night before the draft. I had to go to the clinic, take a physical, and it was about to go down the next night. Jerry Reinsdorf and Michael Jordan axed that deal, and the trade didn't go through…Sitting in the green room as an 18-year-old and there's a possibility I might be playing with the greatest player in the world.”
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NBA Courtside: Tracy McGrady asked Chet Holmgren if he views Wemby as a rival for years to come: “The way I see it, when you’re in it, you have to look at it as Thunder vs Spurs. We’re trying to win these games. They’re trying to win these games. That’s how you have to attack it”
Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady: . @realgranthill33 on Michael Jordan after he and a "Select Team" of elite college players famously defeated the Dream Team in a scrimmage: "The next two days we could barely get the ball over half-court. ... It was like Space Jam where you lose your powers." 😂😭 @FanDuel
.@realgranthill33 on Michael Jordan after he and a "Select Team" of elite college players famously defeated the Dream Team in a scrimmage:
— Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady (@VinceAndTmac) May 15, 2026
"The next two days we could barely get the ball over half-court. ... It was like Space Jam where you lose your powers."
😂😭 @FanDuel pic.twitter.com/zMyWrR0J27
When we type in LeBron James’ résumé and apply the model, we can calculate the Hall of Fame probability based on his production in those eight seasons. So, what was his Hall of Fame probability as a Laker, according to Basketball Reference’s handy HOF probability calculator? Would he be a HOF in purple and gold only? Without further ado … Yup, Hall of Famer. It’s 86.5%. A near lock. We can say with pretty good certainty that James would be a Hall of Famer if we just looked at his Lakers run. That’s a crazy notion on the surface. Then we peel back the layers and realize that, since he turned 33, he has as many All-NBA appearances as Tracy McGrady, Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson did in each of their careers. And they never won a title.
Shams Charania: Naismith Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady has taken a role with Wagner College as strategic advisor for the men's basketball program, joining his son Laymen who committed to the team, per ESPN sources. McGrady will lead Wagner's basketball operations, recruiting and name, image and likeness efforts, and joins a number of current and former NBA players to take administrative positions in college, such as John Wall (Howard), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Shaquille O’Neal (Sacramento State), Trae Young (Oklahoma) and others.