JR Smith’s nickname is “Swish,” but he thinks that Tracy McGrady’s recent comments about the Hall of Fame were a lot closer to an airball.
McGrady, who will officially be inducted into the Hall in September, made some interesting remarks on Friday about the honor.
“Social media can give a lot of people voices these days, and the first thing they say is ‘No rings, no rings,'” he said, per MassLive.com’s Tom Westerholm. “You have to have a great team and some luck to get a ring, right? Unfortunately, I wasn’t blessed with that. But I go back at them with this: Anybody can win a championship. Everybody can’t get in the Hall of Fame.”
McGrady’s take apparently ruffled the feathers of Smith, who rattled off some subtweets on Sunday in which he called the comments “dumb as hell” and seemed to question the retired seven-time All-Star’s qualities as a teammate.
This man really said "anyone can win a ring but not everyone can make it to the Hall Of Fame?" Soooo no one else thinks that dumb as hell???
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) July 31, 2017
FACTS!! People who did nothing make the hall!! If it was like MLB ok but Basketball hall a fame you can build a park an get in!! https://t.co/0gEkFoQ7hN
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) July 31, 2017
So you played for the Hall an not to win. If I was on his team we fighting idc if we don't play no more. Don't waste my time. Not wit hoop!
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) July 31, 2017
The two come from polar opposite ends of the spectrum. McGrady famously had little postseason success in his 16 NBA seasons, only ever getting past the first round of the playoffs as a benchwarmer for the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. Meanwhile, Smith’s 13 seasons in the league have been highlighted by three consecutive Finals appearances and a championship in 2016.
It’s probably worth noting that Smith has had the advantage of playing with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love these last few years, while T-Mac only ever really had the brief apex of Yao Ming to work with. Smith also has virtually no shot of making the Hall himself (Basketball Reference officially gives him a 0.04 percent chance), and he’s been known for his questionable social media behavior recently. But when you consider how fun Smith makes winning a title look, it might be fairly easy to see where he’s coming from here.
