NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady and six-time All-Star Jermaine O’Neal are teaming up to launch their own player representation agency this fall, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Seven1 Sports Group Entertainment – which combines the numbers McGrady and O’Neal wore in their careers – will aim to help young players, with a particular focus on young Black players, in their NBA journey.
“We think it’s needed, and we have a passion for it,” McGrady, 41, told The Times. “We’re around kids every single day because we have youth programs. It just makes sense. We see the lack of information that these kids are getting, so we would be doing a disservice to our people if we don’t lend our expertise of what we know and help guide them. This is a calling that we have.”
McGrady and O’Neal both have plenty in common. They were both drafted out of high school, shared the same agent and sneaker brand and both understand the highs and lows of an NBA career that can become disrupted by injuries.
The former NBA stars began discussing the idea of creating an agency two years ago, but it was not until the coronavirus pandemic when those talks became more serious and began to grow into reality.
O’Neal, 41, plans to take the test to become a registered NBA agent in January while McGrady indicated he would likely leave his current job with ESPN to serve as co-owner and adviser.
O’Neal has already built relationships with some of the potential top picks in the 2020 draft, such as R.J. Hampton, Tyrese Maxey and Jahmi’us Ramsey, and also has a connection with 2021 prospect Cade Cunningham – the draft class where they will eye their first potential clients.
“There’s no magic wand for this,” O’Neal said. “We’re not trying to say we’re the magic wand. But we’re going to be different. You can’t name another pair of people who have had the level of success and the ups and downs that we’ve had in our careers.”
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