Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports:
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According to Amar’e Stoudemire, his beef with Tracy McGrady dates back to the fall of 2001, when Stoudemire was a high school All-America in Florida and McGrady was entering his fifth NBA season. At the time, McGrady was attending his brother’s football game when Stoudemire approached and asked for advice about making the jump from high school to the pros.
“He pretty much didn’t say anything,” Stoudemire remembered. “So I look at myself as being successful in the NBA and if a kid from my hometown came up to me and said, ‘Amar’e, I’m thinking about going to (the NBA),’ I would say, ‘It’s a tough process, college is very important. Education is very important,’ so forth and so on. But I didn’t get any of that.”
“He doesn’t remember,” Stoudemire said. “I’m not surprised he doesn’t remember.”
McGrady disputed Stoudemire’s recollection, saying he and Stoudemire had a phone conversation about him turning pro. McGrady added that the two were together in New York as recently as last September following a Jay-Z concert.