Jordan Ramirez

Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady didn’t become one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers overnight.  

It took hard work, dedication, and according to the seven-time All-Star, countless games of one-on-one with then-teammate and now-Kings assistant coach Doug Christie. 

“I used to play Doug Christie everyday one-on-one,” McGrady said on The Draymond Green Show. “Every. Single. Day. After practice, ‘Bro, let’s get it – one-on-one.’ That’s how I really gained confidence and really perfected my one-on-one game and my skillset.”  

“That’s interesting because for a lot of these kids around [today], they don’t know Doug Christie was a hell of a defender,” echoed Draymond.  

McGrady and Christie played together for three seasons with the Raptors. McGrady was just an 18-year-old rookie, fresh out of high school, when he arrived in Toronto while Christie had already spent four years in the league and was entering the prime of his career. 

Despite being in just his mid-20s at the time, McGrady says that Christie was one of the vets on the team that not only helped him develop his game but taught him and other young Raptors how to be professional athletes.  

“It’s always good to have real OGs around you,” he said. “I had Dell Curry, I had Antonio Davis, Kevin Willis, Charles Oakley, Dee Brown, Muggsy Bogues. We had some vets that kept our ass in line and showed us the way. And that was so impactful for my career moving forward.” 

After two seasons in Toronto, McGrady would go on to play in Orlando, where he twice led the league in scoring, before spending five unforgettable years with the Rockets. He racked up seven All-NBA awards and averaged 19.6 points per game over his 16-year career.  

Christie stayed with the Raptors for a few more season before heading to Sacramento, where he continued to establish himself as one of the league premiere defenders and helped the Kings to four straight playoff appearances. 

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Tracy McGrady Details 1-on-1 Battles with Doug Christie

As part of the Sacramento Kings efforts to highlight Asian American &amp; Pacific Islander Month, the team hosted another Diversity &amp; Inclusion Council Team Member Forum via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday to discuss their rich heritage, cultural values and today's struggles of the AAPI community.

The panel included Roger Chung, Chair of Ethnic Studies Department at Laney College, Michelle Woo, Co-Founder of For Freedoms, Erin Yoshi, Art-Based Community Strategist and Lauren Oto, Communications &amp; Membership for Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce.

"As you all know, this last year and a half has devastated our small businesses," said Lauren Oto, discussing California AAPI communities in California.

"We are living in two pandemics: the COVID-19 pandemic and then we also have the social justice pandemic, which are two major things affecting our minority communities and AAPI communities."

"We have 48 countries in Asia," explained Erin Yoshi. "We are more than half the population of the world. 59% of the population of the world live in Asia. It really sets the tone of how diverse our communities are — range in class, range in culture, food, music. Everything from the richness that cultures have to offer, we have very vast diversities in communities."

"As a social and political body, we have witnessed an invisibilization of our narratives and our voice," said Michelle Woo. "That has also played a role in a lot of racism within the AAPI community. The racism, colorism and discrimination between different groups but also towards folks who historically we have worked in solidarity with."

"Whether it's in media or sports or other institutions in the United States, for the longest time Asian Americans felt they had to prove Americanness or whiteness in a frame that didn't necessarily represent their stories and their narratives," explained Roger Chung on lack of representation in the AAPI communities.

"For groups that felt marginalized, un-American or un-white as a result of the relationship between white-ness and Americanism, we've missed a lot of stories that should've emerged."

For additional resources, visit Kings.com or Sacramento Kings social channels.

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AAPI Heritage Month: Team Member Forum

It was a landmark weekend for Sacramento basketball at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Kings legend Chris Webber, former head coach Rick Adelman, Sacramento Monarchs legend Yolanda Griffith and former head coach Bill Russell will all be inducted into the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame.

Pundits, fans and the basketball world were ecstatic with the news, and shared praise on social media throughout the weekend:

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Internet Reacts: Sacramento Earns Hall of Fame Honors

The Rookie of the Year race is coming down to the wire.

In a ranking of the top rookies based on future star potential, ESPN listed Haliburton as one of the best.

"I've been a Haliburton believer since his unheralded freshman season at Iowa State," explained Kevin Pelton. "And yet his NBA performance has still blown me away in terms of his accuracy as a shooter and ability to create problems for defenses in the pick-and-roll game -- two perceived weaknesses entering the draft."

Haliburton is coming off a win over Dallas, registering a double double starting in place of De'Aaron Fox.

Pelton ranked Haliburton as his second-highest rookie based on future potential, while Mike Schmitz had No. 0 as his third-highest ranked rookie.

"The fit with De'Aaron Fox is perfect," writes Mike Schmitz. "And I've heard nothing but rave reviews about how quickly Haliburton was able to change the culture in Sacramento with his intangibles and magnetic personality."

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Haliburton Named 'Future Star' by ESPN

"Buying in," said Webber, describing why his time in Sacramento was so transformative for not only the city, but the NBA.

"[Assistant Coach Pete Carril] told me when I came there, 'You want to be on the post, huh? And you want the ball... I need you to play this way.'"

On a recent episode of the All the Smoke podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, Chris Webber discussed The Fab Five, his time in Sacramento and much more.

"We had guys that could play, so it's easy to get a triple double," Webber continued. "It was all of us wanting to play. It was the work ethic. It was dudes like Doug Christie and Bobby Jackson.

“I think about how hard Doug worked every day in practice. I think about the spirit of our bench. We really cared for each other and we wanted to win."

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Chris Webber Drops by 'All the Smoke' Podcast

"I’m one of the best two-way centers in the NBA," Richaun Holmes told Basketball News.

"I definitely feel like I’m deserving of the All-Defensive Team.”

Richaun Holmes returned from a five-game absence against the Golden State Warriors with 11 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes.

"I feel like my name has always been one that kind of flies under the radar," continued Holmes. "It’s always kind of an afterthought and things of that sort. I just want to continue to prove and continue to show [my value] on the floor, and let my talking get done on the floor."

For the season, Holmes is averaging 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds on 64.2 percent shooting from the field, good for second in the NBA behind Utah's Rudy Gobert (67.1).

"I just want to show the type of player that I am, just show that I’m one of the best two-way players, just show that I’m deserving of the All-Defensive Team and just continue to show [what I can do]. I want to continue to get better on the floor and just let my numbers and things of that sort prove my case.”

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Holmes: 'I'm Deserving of the All-Defensive Team'

Every week, we'll take a look back at what our Kings are posting about on social media!

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Kings Week on Social 4.23.21

Tyrese Haliburton has been a steady force for Sacramento throughout his rookie campaign.

Haliburton joins Charotte's LaMelo Ball, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards and others for Rookie of the Year honors, which promises to be a close race until the very end.

Sacramento's rookie is now averaging 12.6 points and 5.1 assists on 47.2 percent shooting from the field, 41.5 percent from deep and 84.0 percent from the free throw line.

Here's where the NBA world ranks Sacramento's rookie amongst his fellow draftees:

Haliburton is an interesting case, in the context of Ball’s injury absence. Had the Kings rookie been hurt and sidelined this month, instead of just fading, would he be better off as a ROY candidate? He was named the Western Conference’s top rookie for the first two months, but his April splits are poor. He’s averaging 9.4 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 38.5%, though his assists (5.8) and turnovers (1.2) still are strong.

Haliburton's steady two-way play should put him in the Rookie of the Year conversation. The Iowa State product has shown sound decision-making as a lead facilitator and a high level of activity on the defensive end. His 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio and 108 total deflections are among the league leaders.

Haliburton's reserve role shouldn't hurt his chances for the NBA's top rookie honor as he plays roughly the same amount of minutes as Ball and Edwards. The Kings guard has shown great poise in the fourth quarter, averaging 4.2 points on 54.1% shooting - including a 51.4% clip from downtown - while amassing the fourth-most playing time in the final frame.

Haliburton is leading the rookie class in assists (253) and is second in steals (67), and he’s dished out 10 or more assists in twice in the last 11 games. The Kings finally snapped a nine-game skid (for the second time this season) with a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. They are clearly struggling defensively, ranked 29th in the league in rebounds averaging only 41.6 per game. Haliburton has done his part off the bench, including 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting in a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. He has stayed consistent all season and found ways offensively to make an impact on the court whether that’s being the playmaker for teammates or knocking down open shots.

Despite some inefficiency lately, Haliburton is still having a positive impact on the Kings. He ranks in the 96th percentile in assist percentage, per Cleaning the Glass, showing that despite his 28.6 percent 3-point shooting in the month of April, he's still figuring out ways to put his fingerprint on the game. That's a huge positive for Sacramento, knowing that even if Haliburton is going through a shooting slump -- which he most definitely is lately -- he's still essential to have on the floor because of his ability to get others involved on offense.