Those sleepy eyes always betrayed Tracy McGrady.
Whether he was pouring in 13 points in 35 seconds for Houston in 2004 or sitting on the bench and watching the San Antonio Spurs win another playoff game in June without needing him, that cool expression rarely changed. It all looked almost too easy for McGrady, even if it rarely was.
McGrady announced his retirement from the NBA on Monday, ending a 16-year career that included two scoring titles, seven All-Star appearances, injuries to his knee and back and zero playoff series wins while he was leading the way. The straight-from-high school project who blossomed into a dominant, two-way superstar will always be remembered, too, as a player who struggled with injuries.
"Thank all of you who have supported me over 16 NBA seasons, 7 All-Stars, and countless exciting moments," McGrady tweeted on Monday morning. "Retiring from NBA. Stay tuned."
McGrady didn't rule out continuing his career overseas, perhaps in China where he played last season.
"Officially retired from the NBA," he said on ESPN. "Door's still open."
McGrady was drafted by Toronto out of high school in 1997 and was outshined early in his career by Raptors star Vince Carter, McGrady's distant cousin. He became a star in Orlando, was traded to Houston in 2004 and also played for the Knicks, Pistons and Hawks before finishing up his career with the Spurs last season. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in his career and at one point was considered one of the best perimeter players of his generation, a talent that rivaled Kobe Bryant and any other player in the league (see full story).
NBA
Bucks: Team eager for Sanders' growth
MILWAUKEE -- It's been a busy summer for Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond.
After hiring a new coach, Hammond set his sights on the NBA draft, then got to work rebuilding the roster, eventually bringing 11 new players to Milwaukee.
Last week, however, Hammond made sure one of those players still around after last season stays in Milwaukee for a while. He signed center Larry Sanders to a four-year extension worth approximately $44 million.
"We've talked about moving forward as an organization and building around young players on our roster," Hammond said. "He's one, if not the, key, core piece for us moving forward. This is a great step for us for who we want to become."
The extension comes after a breakout year for 24-year-old Sanders, who led Milwaukee in rebounds (9.5 per game) and averaged 9.8 points, both career highs. His 2.83 blocks per game were second in the NBA to Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka.
"He's one of the top defenders in the NBA," Hammond said. "He's one of the top shot-blockers in our business and he's only going to get better defensively, get better on offense and we're really excited to have him be a part of our organization long-term."
Offensively, Sanders is still a work-in-progress, but has shown marked improvement over his first three seasons and shot a career-best 50.6 percent from the field. Free throw shooting is something of a concern -- he's 58 percent from the line in his career but -- but he connected at a 61.8 percent clip a year ago while averaging 8.5 attempts (see full story).
Rockets: Lin ready to work with Howard
BEIJING -- Jeremy Lin says he's looking forward to pairing up with the Houston Rockets' newly acquired star Dwight Howard.
Lin told reporters Sunday on a visit to Beijing that he saw a natural affinity in the pair's affection for the pick-and-roll game.
"We're not yet in Houston and haven't trained together so I don't know yet," said the 25-year-old point guard, who was in China to oversee a basketball camp.
"But he really likes to play pick-and-roll and I really like to play pick-and-roll, so I hope we can work really well together and really happily learn how to play with each other," Lin said.
Howard signed with Houston after playing for the Lakers, following a strong push by former Rockets starts, including Hakeem Olajuwon and China's Yao Ming.
The Rockets went 45-37 during Lin's first season with the team and lost to the Oklahoma Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. The addition of Howard is expected to put the team in contention for a title.
Lin said it was too early to talk about his future in Houston after his first season in which he started all 82 regular-season games and averaged more than 13 points and six assists.
"Right now I know there's always speculation about what might happen, but I haven't made any decisions I haven't thought about it and I'm going to approach that question when the time comes," Lin said.
Lin had become a star with the Knicks the previous season and started the "Linsanity" craze. Lin's parents are from Taiwan and he has been embraced by fans in mainland China.