Tracy McGrady retired this summer following a 15-year NBA career that will in all likelihood land him in the Hall of Fame.
There was a point in McGrady’s journey, however, where injuries started to cloud how well he could perform long before he decided to hang ‘em up. And there was a time where he considered all options to get back to the player he once was physically.
Appearing on NBA TV’s Open Court, McGrady was very candid in discussing how he felt after struggling to rehabilitate fully from a knee injury, to the point where he admits to considering the use of performance enhancing drugs.
“I’ve never said this to nobody,” McGrady said. “Because I was playing at such a high level for so many years, and when I had my knee injury, I was doing everything in my will power to get back to that level. Naturally, I couldn’t do it. Because I just didn’t have the strength, I didn’t have the confidence, and I just didn’t believe that I was going to get there doing it naturally.
“I actually considered -- I considered -- getting an advantage. And whatever that was, doing it illegally ... I considered that to get back.”
McGrady’s honesty is refreshing here, and you have to wonder just how many other players out there have had similar thoughts cross their mind.
[h/t: Sports Grid, via HoopsHype]
