After years of friendship and elite playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O’Neal are starting a sports agency. The two former All-Stars will use their new venture to represent players in the 2021 NBA draft, according to the New York Times.
Having known each other since they were teenagers, McGrady and O’Neal are opening Seven1 Sports Group and Entertainment in the fall. A combination of their jersey numbers, the company is slated to open in the Fall.
Both 41 and Texas residents, McGrady and O’Neal said the idea for the company came about after having years of conversations on how to make an impact in their post-playing careers, the Times said.
The coronavirus pandemic gave them more “time to process and think hard — together,” O’Neal said. This led them to brainstorming on “how they could help young players, particularly young Black players, the most,” the Times wrote.
“We think it’s needed, and we have a passion for it,” McGrady told the Times. “We’re around kids every single day because we have youth programs. It just makes sense. We see the lack of information that these kids are getting, so we would be doing a disservice to our people if we don’t lend our expertise of what we know and help guide them. This is a calling that we have.”
O’Neal added, ““Make no mistake, this is very personal.”
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According to the report, McGrady would leave his hosting gig at ESPN to dedicate himself to his role as co-owner and adviser, while O’Neal is gearing up to take the NBA’s required test to become an agent.
Despite their limited experience in negotiating and marketing, the duo believes their experiences as players make what they bring to the table unique.
“There’s no magic wand for this,” O’Neal told the Times. “We’re not trying to say we’re the magic wand. But we’re going to be different. You can’t name another pair of people who have had the level of success and the ups and downs that we’ve had in our careers.”
They both also cited how not having a strong paternal presence during their NBA careers affected them and made it more difficult for them to navigate things like injuries, building a family and the pressures that come along with superstardom. They want to fill those voids for young players.
Recognizing they will be on a learning curve and face stiff competition, McGrady and O’Neal said they will hire seasoned pros in the areas they are new to. They are also not afraid of doing the work. After all, they know firsthand champions are not born, they’re made.
“At the end of the day, they can’t get all the players. Obviously, it’s going to take us some time to get our feet wet and really understand how this thing works,” McGrady told the Times. “But we’re not intimidated by anybody. We know there’s going to be a lot of people trying to poke holes into this.”
