Tracy McGrady is latest Houston Rockets hall-of-famer

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Whether you remember him at his lowest (his playoff futility) or his highest ("13 in 35"), Tracy McGrady's time as a Houston Rocket is arguably the prime chapter of his hall-of-fame career.

McGrady was enshrined this weekend as part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2017.

Houston wasn't his first or last stop in his 16-year career, but "T-Mac" logged the most seasons with the Rockets at six.

McGrady was drafted out of high school by the Toronto Raptors in 1997. After playing next to his distant cousin and future hall-of-famer Vince Carter, McGrady signed in free agency with the Orlando Magic, where he rose to stardom as an elite scorer.

He was sent to H-Town before the 2004-2005 season in a transaction that saw him trade places with Steve Francis.

Like his predecessor Francis, McGrady operated well with the ball in his hands, averaging 32 and 29 points a game in his last two seasons with Orlando. The averages were good enough for league scoring titles in those seasons.

It was in his first season with Houston that Rockets fans were rewarded with big time scoring and moments that are surely part of his hall-of-fame induction video package.

Playing a complementary role to fellow hall-of-famer Yao Ming, McGrady averaged nearly 26 points a game while starting all 78 regular season contests that he played in.

The guaranteed highlight of that season was McGrady's 13 points scored in the last 35 seconds of a comeback victory against San Antonio. In that memorable sequence, McGrady scored four consecutive three-pointers, one of which was a four-point play, to cap a furious come-from-behind win at home.

At playoff time that same season, McGrady went off in Game 2 of the Rockets' opening round matchup with Dallas, including slamming a highlight reel, posterizing dunk on center Shawn Bradley.

Later in his Houston tenure, T-Mac played a part in the team's 22-game win streak in the 2007-2008 season, which was second best in NBA history at the time.

Granted, McGrady's time in Houston also had its equal amount of low points. He most notably had issues with his durability, and he was constantly dogged by his inability to get past the first round of the playoffs.

By the time of his retirement in 2013, McGrady scored 18,381 points, which was good for a career average of 19.6 points a game. He can also boast seven NBA All-Star selections, three of which came during his time as a Rocket. He also came within a missed three-point shot of clinching his first NBA title during his last season in the league with San Antonio.

McGrady follows in the footsteps of past hall-of-famers who played for the Rockets including Yao, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Calvin Murphy.

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