‘He was a big impact on my life’: Anfernee Simons reflects on honoring Tracy McGrady

Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons paid homage to Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady on Sunday en route to winning the Slam Dunk Contest.

On Sunday, Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons paid homage to Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady en route to winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Simons, who narrowly defeated New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin in the final round, honored McGrady with his second dunk of the evening. Prior to the attempt, Simons changed into McGrady’s throwback Toronto Raptors jersey and then threw a windmill dunk.

Growing up, Simons, who is from Central Florida, idolized McGrady when he played for the Orlando Magic in the early 2000s. McGrady was one of the first players that Simons loved watching and the 21-year-old wanted to honor him on Sunday.

“(He) was kind of the first person I saw and fell in love with the game,” Simons said. “He and LeBron (James) were the first two jerseys I ever had. He was just a big impact on my life, especially with him being from Florida as well. That was everything for me. I had a chance to meet him a couple of times when I was younger but I was too scared to meet him so, hopefully, one day I will get to meet him.”

Throughout his Hall of Fame career, T-Mac certainly helped inspire the next wave of players. Other younger players, such as Coby White, Eric Paschall and Carsen Edwards, all viewed McGrady as an idol and credited him for their love of the game.

Hopefully, Simons can work up the courage to meet him one day…

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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