"It was me and Kobe Bryant" - Tracy McGrady believes being ringless doesn't affect his NBA legacy 

In an interview on Patrick Beverley's "The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone," Tracy McGrady acknowledges that he was one of the best players in the league next to Kobe Bryant at the peak level in their career.

"That was a conversation of who was the best players in the league," McGrady said. "It was me and Kobe [Bryant] of barbershop talk around the league. Real hoopers, real basketball people know."

Patrick Beverly also mentions in the podcast that he believes that Tracy McGrady would have ascended in NBA legacy conversations if he won a championship. Compared to Kobe Bryant, McGrady doesn't have much to show for when counting championship rings aside from All-Star and All-NBA selections.

After being Vince Carter's running mate at Toronto Raptors, McGrady started making his imprint as the main star on a team with the Orlando Magic.

His time with the Magic is often seen as the peak of his career from an athleticism and shotmaking standpoint. In the four seasons he played in Orlando, he averaged 25.4 points per game (43.4% shooting, including 34.1% from 3-point range), 6.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.

In his career, McGrady was an All-Star seven times, made All-NBA First Team twice, and All-NBA Second Team thrice.

Interestingly enough, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady used to train together in the offseason to hone their individual game better. However, for Kobe Bryant, he wanted to make his mark on the league as the star player with the Lakers.

After losing to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 Finals, the tandem of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant was split up. Since then, Bryant had the keys to the franchise moving forward and a shot at winning a championship without O'Neal.

Back then, the Lakers shooting guard was often looked at as someone that couldn't deliver a ring to the city of Los Angeles without Shaquille O'Neal.

In a USA TODAY article by Michael Singer, Kobe Bryant talked about the importance of winning a championship without O'Neal next to him.

"It was always the challenge of, 'Kobe can't win without Shaq, right?' If I had went my whole career and we had won championships," Bryant said, "God bless you guys, but guys would be saying at the Hall of Fame, 'He wont with Shaq.' I didn't want to hear that. At some point I was going to take that challenge, and it was either you guys are right or I'm right."

Kobe Bryant ended up winning two championships in 2009 and 2010 for the Los Angeles Lakers without Shaquille O'Neal.

On the other hand, Tracy McGrady never secured a ring, even during the six seasons he played for the Houston Rockets. He came close to winning one with the San Antonio Spurs when he was called for roster completion around April 2013.

Unfortunately, the Spurs lost the Finals against the Heat despite the 3-2 advantage. Looking back at that opportunity, McGrady discussed it on Shannon Sharpe's 'Club Shay Shay.'

"To go through that run was amazing," McGrady said, "man it was amazing. I loved every bit of it. But if we would've won a ring, I wouldn't have felt validated as a champion."

Looking back on Kobe Bryant calling Tracy McGrady a tough matchup

In a Basketball Network article by Alejandro Torres, Kobe Bryant described what made Tracy McGrady a tough matchup.

"He could do everything I could," Bryant said, "but he was 6'10. He had no weaknesses in his game, he could score from anywhere and defend. He's the hardest player I have ever had to guard."

Their head-to-head duels were a thing to behold for NBA fans at the time, as they were two of the most elite shotmakers in the league.

Despite not winning a championship, Tracy McGrady is still recognized as one of the best players to have played in the league in his prime.