Tracy McGrady stands by belief he’d win with Shaquille O’Neal, regrets using the word “replace” for Kobe

Tracy McGrady stirred the pot with a bold “what-if” about teaming up with Shaquille O’Neal—and now he’s walking it back, just a little. After claiming he could’ve won titles with Shaq in Kobe Bryant’s place, McGrady faced backlash for what many saw as a diss.

But T-Mac insists it wasn’t disrespect—it was about missed opportunity and misunderstood phrasing, not knocking his “brother” Kobe.

McGrady doubles down on Shaquille O’Neal “what-if” but apologizes to Kobe Bryant

On June 20, during his First Take appearance, Tracy McGrady confidently declared — “Replace me with Kobe with Shaq, I don’t win a championship? You don’t think I can carry the Lakers to a championship? I’ve never had the opportunity.”Naturally, there was some backlash. A lot of listeners took the comment as a direct jab at Kobe Bryant—something McGrady never meant to imply.During a follow-up interview with Timeless Sports, the Hall of Famer admitted he regretted the way he expressed himself. He reflected on his phrasing and felt it could have been better. — “I never should have said ‘replace.’ … people know Kobe’s my brother. There’s no way in hell I would ever disrespect my brother like that.”

Even though he backed off from the controversial phrasing, McGrady is still firm on his stance: his playoff-ready offense, combined with Shaq’s raw power, would have made them contenders for the championship during the 2000–2008 dynasty period.

McGrady highlighted the context of his hypothetical remark, focusing on the intersection of two powerful dynasties. From 2000 to 2002, Shaquille O’Neal recorded Finals averages of 38 points and 16 rebounds, guiding the Los Angeles Lakers to a three-peat. During that same period, McGrady was scoring 30 PPG as a 21-year-old sensation for the Orlando Magic.He clearly pointed out: “Shaq, Kobe, Tim Duncan were the only ones winning championships” during that era.He didn’t mean to compare entire careers. Instead, he pointed out a specific timeframe: combine T-Mac’s prime with Shaq’s peak during the Finals, and you’ve got a top-notch title contender. McGrady’s clarification was more than just semantics—he highlighted his great respect for Kobe Bryant. He reiterated — “I never said I was better than Kobe. Never.”Also Read: “You saw that championship coming” — Aries Spears calls Oklahoma City Thunder’s win over Pacers predictableIn the EssentiallySports write‑up, he blasted clickbait and “ring culture” narratives, highlighting that media distortions frequently warp athlete intentions into confrontations.He argued the timing wasn’t accidental—he was framing a strategic “what‑if” scenario, not declaring superiority. With both Kobe and Shaq carved into NBA folklore, McGrady wanted to contextualize his own career trajectory—situations matter just as much as skill.