Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter are known as two of the most dynamic NBA players of their generation. What many fans might not know is that the two stars are also cousins, a fact they didn’t discover until McGrady was in high school and Carter was playing college basketball at the University of North Carolina.
Ramone Shelburne of ESPN reported on how McGrady found out about the surprising family connection. The two grew up playing for the same AAU team, Team Florida, and frequently crossed paths in the basketball world. However, it wasn’t until a visit to Chapel Hill, where McGrady was playing in a pickup game, that things began to unfold.
McGrady recalled that no one at UNC would let him use their locker at the time, but Carter stepped in to offer his. Reflecting on their shared history with Team Florida, Carter extended the gesture, but neither had any clue that their connection went deeper than basketball. A few days later, McGrady attended a family reunion in Florida that changed everything.
During the reunion, McGrady was having a casual conversation with his grandmother when the topic of basketball came up. A woman at the table mentioned her grandson, who was playing college ball at UNC. Intrigued, McGrady asked where her grandson played, and she responded with “Chapel Hill,” identifying him as a Tar Heel.
Things took a surprising turn when the woman referred to her grandson as “Vincent.” When McGrady pressed her for more details, she revealed the full name: Vince Carter. McGrady was in disbelief. He looked at his grandmother and asked, “Are you two related?” She confirmed that they were indeed cousins.
McGrady wasted no time and immediately called Carter to break the news. Carter, still in disbelief, responded, “Bro, I know you’re lying.” Having just seen McGrady days before, Carter found the revelation hard to believe. McGrady reassured him by explaining that he was sitting with Carter’s grandmother at the family reunion.
The story took another twist the following year when McGrady entered the NBA, being drafted ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in 1997. A year later, Vince Carter declared for the draft after three years at UNC. McGrady saw an opportunity to reconnect with his newly discovered cousin and urged Raptors head coach Butch Carter to draft him.
McGrady made a passionate case to the Raptors, telling them they had to bring in Carter. He explained, “I was 18 years old, in a foreign country, and if y’all trying to make me the future of this franchise, I need some input and I want somebody to go with me that I feel comfortable with. Plus, he’s the most talented cat in this draft.” The Raptors listened, and in 1998, Vince Carter was drafted by the Golden State Warriors before being traded to Toronto in exchange for Antawn Jamison.
Their partnership in Toronto quickly became legendary. McGrady reminisced about their time together, describing it as a “joy” to not only share the court with his cousin but also to witness Carter’s rapid rise to stardom. He stated, “To have him as a teammate and finding out we was cousins at the same time… it was just such a joy. Unbelievable. He came in his rookie year and he was doing some s— that we never seen before.”
The cousins formed a formidable duo during their time with the Raptors, capturing the attention of fans worldwide with their electrifying style of play. Though McGrady eventually left Toronto for the Orlando Magic, their bond remained strong, forged not just by basketball but by family.