Tracy McGrady, simply known as "T-mac", was born on May 24, 1979 in Bartow, Fl to Melanise Williford and grew up in Auburndale, FL. He was the product of an area called "the Hill" in Auburndale. It is a quaint town of about 9,000, surrounded by lakes halfway between Orlando and Tampa. At Auburndale he quickly became a two-sport star. His first love was baseball with aspirations of playing Major League Baseball. Some Auburndale coaches where certain McGrady would be playing in a Major League ballpark instead of the NBA hardwood. Tracy's family has been a major influence in his life. His Mother Melanise and his Grandmother Roberta raised Tracy. He, eventually, grew to know both women as "mom". Melanise Williford worked as a chambermaid at a Disney World hotel. She made a daily 90-minute commute from her home, near Tampa, in order to get to work each day to support the family. His dad, Tracy McGrady Sr., has had his separate life, but that does not mean he hasn't been there for Tracy. "My dad's been around," he says. "He did what he had to do. He wasn't a bad father." Joe Hopkins, Tracy’s coach from Mount Zion Christian Academy, has been a big part of Tracy's life. Joe taught him to respect others, himself and for the game. "He's my backbone," Tracy says. "If it weren't for Coach Hopkins, none of this would be possible." Hopkins, the basketball coach at Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina, received a call about Tracy from Alvin Jones Jr., a basketball coach at Kathleen High, a neighboring High School to Auburndale High. Hopkins drove down to Orlando to go to Disney World with his family, and he stopped in Auburndale to meet with Tracy and his "moms". Hopkins offered Tracy a scholarship to Mount Zion on the ride back to Durham with Tracy, and the rest is history.
