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Back when Tracy McGrady was playing still in high school, he made one visit to Kentucky and knew that’s where he wanted to continue his basketball career.
That is until Adidas swooped in to pry him away.
McGrady blew up the summer before his senior year after an impressive showing at the Adidas ABCD Camp. He wasn’t on the radar prior to that experience but after he dominated the competition, McGrady left as the No. 1 player in the nation.
As McGrady was set on playing for Kentucky, Adidas offered him a six-year, $12 million shoe endorsement deal. Upon receiving that offer, McGrady knew what he had to do, as he explained on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
I’m sitting in my Coach’s office, he’s like, ‘I know you want to go to Kentucky but after I tell you this, you are going to forget all about that.’ I’m like, ‘After you tell me what?’ He’s like, ‘I got a $12 million deal for you.’ I said, ‘From who?’ He said, ‘From Adidas.’ I said, ‘Oh, [expletive]. Let’s sign!’ … My college dream went out the window. I signed for that bag and that was it.
The contract McGrady signed out of high school was a big deal at the time and it was worth more than what the Three Stripes were paying Kobe Bryant before he left for Nike.
Of course, T-Mac eventually signed a lifetime contract with Adidas in 2002 and went on to have six signature shoes with the apparel company throughout his Hall of Fame career.
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