Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby may be a fan of Allen Iverson’s crossover dribble (particularly the one where he made former Washington Wizards guard Antonio Daniels look like he slipped on a puddle of water) but he is a huge fan of Tracy McGrady.

English-born and of Nigerian descent, the 6’8 Anunoby was a month old when McGrady was drafted by the Toronto Raptors with the ninth pick in the 1997 NBA Draft.

That draft class was laden with talent with two future Hall of Famers standing out from that list: Detroit Pistons hero Chauncey Billups and old reliable San Antonio Spurs big, Tim Duncan.

Literally 20 years later, Anunoby was selected 23rd in the 2017 NBA Draft out of the University of Indiana.

The irony.

McGrady was special; so special the biggest rumor in 1997 was that the Bulls were looking to trade Scottie Pippen to acquire him.

In Jonathan Abrams’ book “Boys Among Men,” (H/T CBS Sports’ Matt Moore) it was revealed that Tracy McGrady was nearly traded to the Chicago Bulls for Scottie Pippen on draft night in 1997, but Michael Jordan vetoed it. McGrady confirmed that on an episode of ESPN’s The Jump with Rachel Nichols.

“Tracy McGrady was one of my favorites,” OG Anunoby told me on Scoop B Radio.

For two seasons (1998-2000), McGrady, Vince Carter, Doug Christie and company would lead the Raptors to a 68-64 record. Those feats included the Raptors first-ever winning season where they went 45-37 in 2000.

Toronto also made their first NBA playoff appearance, where they’d be swept 3-0 by the New York Knicks. Despite being swept, McGrady earned his big payday in the NBA Playoff. In game one, T-Mac registered 25 points and hauled in 10 rebounds.

Tracy McGrady's (25pts/10rebs/8offrebs) Playoffs Debut vs. Knicks (2000)This is Tracy McGrady's first playoffs game and actually the first post-season appearance for the Toronto Raptors franchise, period. While his hotshot cousin Vince Carter (16pts, 3/20 FG) has an embarrassing game, the young up-and-comer T-Mac has himself a good performance. McGrady doesn't look all that shook and courageously attacks the paint for layups and… 2013-06-24T17:55:49.000Z

That offseason, McGrady bolted Toronto and signed a six-year, $67.5 million contract with the Orlando Magic.

With McGrady now an NBA Hall of Famer, Anunoby says he he has a favorite McGrady moment: “The game when he went against the Spurs,” he said with a smile.

Ah yes, December 9, 2004. As a member of the Houston Rockets, McGrady scored 13 points in 33 seconds against the San Antonio Spurs. It took four buckets from beyond the arc, a made free throw to complete a four-point play and a steal to win the game 81-80.

Tracy McGrady – 13 points in 35 seconds, December 9, 2004 (HD) with counterT-Mac putting on a show in Houston against the San Antonio Spurs to steal the game. This video is an edition of the video: "T-Mac 13 Pts in 35 Seconds [HD]", uploaded by the user vulcanchen. Extra Tags: Atlanta Hawks Joe Johnson Josh Smith Milwaukee Bucks Michael Redd Boston Celtics Shaquille O'neal Rajon Rondo Ray… 2011-11-03T00:10:41.000Z

Historically, McGrady struggled to get out of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Despite that, a talented scorer, McGrady’s most memorable playoff moments occurred during the 2003 NBA Playoffs. The league’s scoring champion at the time, McGrady shot over 51 percent from the field against the Detroit Pistons in their round one series.

The Magic had a 3-1 lead in the series with McGrady scoring 43, 46, 29 and 27 points, respectively against Detroit; but Orlando couldn’t seal the deal. They were eliminated.

One stand out moment during that series was when McGrady dunked on Pistons 6’11 forward Mehmet Okur.

McGrady facial dunk on Mehmet Okur (+ young Lebron interview)2003 Playoffs 2009-07-08T19:36:41.000Z

“It was a good series,” said Anunoby.

“Plus I liked McGrady too and I was just a fan of the NBA at that point.”