T-Mac: Anyone can win a title, but 'everybody can't get in the HOF'

The number of championships an NBA player wins goes a long way toward defining their legacy, which is why Michael Jordan's six rings is held in such high regard in the greatest player of all time debate.

For former two-time scoring champion and seven-time All-Star Tracy McGrady, not only did he never hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy during his 15-year career, the now 38-year-old only saw action in the second round once. Even with that blemish, T-Mac will soon be inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, despite his lack of titles.

"Social media can give a lot of people voices these days, and the first thing they say is 'No rings, no rings,'" McGrady said, according to Mass Live's Tom Westerholm. "You have to have a great team and some luck to get a ring, right? Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with that. But I go back at them with this: Anybody can win a championship. Everybody can't get in the Hall of Fame."

At his peak, McGrady was viewed as one basketball's top talents, combining elite athleticism with a knack for scoring that very few could come close to replicating. He's one of only four players since 2000 (Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson) to average 32 or more points in a season, which he did in 2003 for the Orlando Magic (32.1).

"It's such a surreal feeling," said McGrady of his upcoming induction. "Before coming to the NBA, I didn't know anything about the Hall of Fame. It wasn't like a goal of mine. I just loved to play the game of basketball, and whatever accomplishments I got after that, obviously I'd be thrilled. This right here, this is awesome.

"The Hall? Really? From my story, where I came from, if I'd known that I'd be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, it really doesn't get better than that."

McGrady is part of an esteemed class that includes Rebecca Lobo, Jerry Krause, and Bill Self, with the ceremony scheduled for Sept. 8.