Shannon Sharpe & Tracy McGrady BREAK DOWN MJ's UNMATCHED Aura, THE MVP, and BAM's 83 | Nightcap

McGrady selects Jaylen Brown as his MVP, emphasizing 'most valuable to their team.' He highlights Brown's consistent high-level play from the start of the season and the Celtics' strong second-seed position in the Eastern Conference, despite significant roster absences like Jayson Tatum for periods. McGrady views Brown as carrying the team through these challenges.

Out of the five candidates (Luka, Wemby, Jokic, SGA, Jaylen Brown), McGrady states, 'who's most valuable to their team? And out of those five, when I look at the rosters, it's Jaylen Brown. No question.' He notes Tatum's absence and the team's sustained success.

Both Shannon Sharpe and Tracy McGrady describe Michael Jordan as possessing an unparalleled 'aura' that made him seem 'not real.' McGrady recounts a personal experience at 17 years old, seeing Jordan after a game, where he appeared to be 'glowing' with a unique energy that left a lasting impression, a sentiment echoed by other NBA legends.

McGrady states, 'His his his aura is like none other.' He describes seeing Jordan walk out of the locker room: 'Nah. It's like he was glowing, bro. He had like this aura around him that was telling people don't believe it. This is 17-year-old me watching this guy.' Sharpe adds, 'Don't nobody has the aura like Michael Jordan.'

McGrady and Sharpe vehemently defend the legitimacy of Bam Adebayo's 83-point game, regardless of the opponent (Washington Wizards) or the game's context (late-game fouling). They emphasize the historical rarity of such a scoring feat, noting only three players in NBA history have reached that mark. They dismiss criticisms from current and former players as 'hating' and highlight that future generations will only see the number, not the circumstances.

McGrady states, 'The league has been around, you know, 70 something years. They only... three. That's all I It's. It's only three. Regardless of how he did it and how you view him as he when he did it, it's 83 points.' Sharpe adds, 'I don't care what nobody say. This man was levitating. He was not walking. He was levitating.'

Tracy McGrady expresses strong reservations about the NBA's potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle, arguing that the league already suffers from a lack of talent. He points to several current teams (Washington Wizards, Utah, Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento) that he considers 'tanking' or unwatchable, suggesting that adding more teams would further dilute the talent pool and worsen the product for fans.

When asked why he doesn't think there's enough talent, McGrady replies, 'We just talked about BAM scoring 83 points, right? What did you call that team? He scored 83 points on... the Washington Generals.' He continues, 'They're not the only team like that. You got Utah Tanking. You got the the Brooklyn Nets... Sacramento, you want you tuning in? Why Sacramento up? No. All right, man. So now we you talking about adding two more teams and this... Come on, bro. We don't have the product, man. I'm just I'm sorry. We we we just don't have the product.'

The discussion highlights how a player's situation significantly impacts their development and perceived greatness. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) and James Harden are cited as examples of players who flourished only after moving to teams where they could be primary ball-handlers and leaders, rather than being overshadowed by existing stars like Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Sharpe asks, 'where was SGA before he got OKC? Clippers... He wasn't even thought of or talked about when he was with the Clippers. Had he stayed with the Clippers? Are we talking about SGA? Right. That's my point. because he would because it was going to be because and that's and this is what I tell people situations matter because he was not going to have the ball in his hand that was Kawhai's team.' McGrady argues Harden would have still become great in OKC, but Sharpe counters that he wouldn't have reached the same scoring heights.