At adidas’ ABCD Camp in the summer of 1996, an unknown Tracy McGrady was given jersey number 175 as the last player to be invited. Over the course of the week, T-Mac shattered expectations and set the tone for his Hall of Fame career. In that moment, he became the original adidas basketball creator.
After partnering with Tracy for the past 20 years, adidas celebrated his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame by partnering with artist Jon Moody to customize triple white editions of the T-MAC 1 (2002), T-MAC 2 (2003), T-MAC 3 (2004) and T-MAC 5 (2005).
Moody, a New Orleans based athlete artist that uses his abilities to provoke thought while aiming to break the myth that one is either an athlete or artist, drew inspiration from Tracy’s freestyle approach to the game, exploring saturation and distinct color combinations through the lens of controlled chaos. Each model features custom artwork and memorable play-by-play commentary on the laces, paying tribute to iconic moments that created T-Mac’s Hall of Fame legacy.
T-MAC 1 (2002) – Commemorates T-Mac’s 46-point performance on Christmas Day against the Detroit Pistons with ‘46’ splash-painted in Roman numerals.
T-MAC 2 (2003) – Inspired by T-Mac’s 52-point show over the Chicago Bulls, embracing his fiery energy and explosive gameplay.
T-MAC 3 (2004) – Celebrates T-Mac’s 36-point display versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. The pure gold performance and motions of the game inspired the silhouette’s finishing touches.
T-MAC 5 (2005) – Takes design cues from T-Mac’s ability to rule the stat sheet and his performance against the Dallas Mavericks, where he recorded 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Each shoe is uniquely designed to represent all sides to T-Mac’s game.
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