McGrady says he will become the champion if he replaces Kobe with the 2000s Lakers

According to US sports media F/W contributor Nico Martinez, McGrady has not given up on his belief that he will win the championship with O'Neal. In a recent appearance at the arena, the Hall of Famer clarified his previous comments, saying that the assumption only applies to his golden age in the early 2000s, when “ring culture” was at its peak. “When we talk about basketball, we keep talking about assumptions, it’s around the ring culture we’re talking about,” McGrady said in the arena. "We're talking about the early 2000s. People went to Rockets years. We're talking in particular about a very tiny period of my career, when I was at that level. That's what we said."

For McGrady, this conversation had nothing to do with honor or qualifications. Instead, it's about pure skill and just making judgments based on the basket. He wasn't trying to compare himself to Kobe, but he believed that he could almost be equally effective if the right pieces were used. "When I look at my identity as a player at this time, I see Shaq, the most dominant basketball player, I see myself playing with someone like Shaq, and based on the conversation around ring culture, I will win a ring with the big guys. The reason I say that is, when you look back at the early 2000s, when you look at the NBA All-Squad roster, who is with Kobe?"

To my credit, he and Kobe were both selected for the NBA All-Squad 1st in 2002 and 2003, and were selected for the NBA All-Squad 2nd in 2001. They were once considered two of the best defenders in the league before McGrady's career took a different turn. As Kobe and O'Neal eventually parted ways, McGrady spent his remaining peak at the Houston Rockets, where he never really had a chance to win. To this day, McGrady believes that if he had teammates, support and overall environment like Ke, his career would be very different.

While their game and talent may be comparable, Kobe has a much better career lead than McGrady, undoubtedly due to his five-time championship status with the Lakers. He averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in his career, and shot 44.7% from the field. Kobe's greatness is undeniable, but he also received help from O'Neal in his early career. Although he is not Kobe, McGrady is a seven-time All-Star and two-time scoring champion, and he could have thrived with O'Neal. Although he is not Kobe's shooter, his shooting and finishing ability will make him an ideal partner for the Lakers big man, and Shaq himself agrees.

So while McGrady is getting a lot of talk for winning the ring with the Lakers, it is not an unfair argument given the differences in their team situation. Still, no look back and changing history now, and McGrady's failure to win the championship will always be a stain on his impressive resume.

Ultimately, McGrady's point is not that he is Kobe, but that he is outstanding enough at his peak to win the championship under the right circumstances. A partner with O'Neal, the most dominant force of that era, could have given him this opportunity. It’s a debate rooted in assumptions, but it highlights just how talented McGrady is and to what extent the environment has shaped his achievements.