[The Story of Tracy McGrady and Carter]

It was at a big family gathering that 4-year-old Tracy McGrady met him for the first time. Cousin Vincent Lamar Carter, 2. They are distant relatives, Maddie's grandma is Grandpa Carter's sister. During the chat, I realized that the two families lived so close to each other, just a few minutes' drive away. Since then, they often visit each other, but the two children have liked to compete since they were young. They often argue over playing games or basketball, and their faces turn red. When they quarrel so much, the two children don't speak for several days and get angry. However, they are all children after all. Within a few days, there will always be a child who takes the initiative to call the other party and start a competition in another game. In the constant quarrels and competitions, the two children gradually grew up.

When McGrady came to play in the Raptors, his cousin Carter was on the team. At that time, McGrady was very shy, like a girl, and no one on the team was very familiar with him. Carter was his brother at the time and had been in the NBA for a while, and he was cheerful and easy to make friends, so Carter He took this cousin with him and lived and ate together, becoming the closest couple. At that time, some people commented that Xiaomai was simply the shadow of Carter, and some people were impressed to call them "Siamese twins."

Carter arrived a year earlier than Wheat. The popular Carter quickly became popular and became the boss of the team, and the Raptors also became his team. At that time, McGrady was not very conspicuous. He once said in front of the media: At that time, he (Carter) taught me how to be the focus every night, but the disadvantage was that every time the ball came into his hands, the whole game became him. Tracy McGrady said he was not jealous, but he wanted his own territory. As time passed, McGrady also began to show his talents, slowly becoming the sixth man from the bench. However, the conflict of positions meant that Xiaomai never had the chance to start. He began to complain. He began to be dissatisfied with Carter's dominant position in the team, and believed that it was the presence of his cousin that made him lose the opportunity to perform, even if his mother and Carter His aunt Melanisi was also very dissatisfied with this: "In the Raptors, everything belongs to Vince, and almost none of Tracy's share. To be honest, I am tired of it all."

So, in the summer of 2000, Mai left Toronto. Although Carter tried his best to retain his cousin, Mai firmly said: "I want to go to a team of my own, and I believe it can do very well. " Carter said: "I don't understand why he chose to leave. Maybe this is the rule of basketball, but I just can't understand." Because of their departure and their different concepts, the relationship between the two reached a deadlock.

It is said that Carter was very angry at Wheat's departure, and the two did not speak for more than a year. It was not until the Raptors went to a Magic game that "Big Mouth" O.C. volunteered to act as a lobbyist. Klee called Mai's phone number and handed the phone to Carter, and the two of them finally got better.

As childhood friends, the two have actually been in a "delicate relationship" since then. They were still happy to say hello during the game, and they would also pat their backs and hug them. "Our relationship is like Magic Johnson and Birdie. They both want to win and they fight fiercely on the court, but at the end of the game, they are like old friends. The same is true with our relationship," Carter said. .

Perhaps distance always produces beauty. In 2005, during a match between the United States and the Dominican Republic in the America's Cup qualifiers, the United States team was playing a fast break. Carter and Wheat rushed to grab the ball that bounced off the backboard. The Dominican players looked at them helplessly. One of the guys is going to get it and slam it into the basket. This was a subtle moment, when Wheat gave up the slam dunk opportunity to his cousin. "To be honest, I thought Tracy would get the ball, but he slowed down, so I had no choice but to rush forward... Afterwards, I realized that he had deliberately let me get the ball." Carter After the game, he said gratefully, "We are back to where we were before."

After losing in the playoffs, Mai was in pain. His cousin sent him a text message to comfort him and invited him to New Jersey. Tracy McGrady went, and his cousin's love brought him back to "the old days". Bringing him back to reality.