It’s easy to forget given the way their careers turned out, but there was a point in the early 2000’s when there was real debate over whether or not Orlando Magic guard Tracy McGrady or Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was the more promising young player.
Bryant obviously went on to have the better career, but it was difficult to see just how special he was as an individual during his time playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal during the three-peat era.
Bryant was only able to give glimpses of his potential for scoring bursts rather than the singular offensive showcases he would regularly put on later in his career when he was the undisputed best player on the Lakers.