Adidas has spent the last year reviving Tracy McGrady’s signature sneaker line with more enthusiasm than we’ve ever seen. Youngins may not know it, but T-Mac was one of the most thrilling players to watch in the NBA throughout the early and mid-2000s, and he had the sneaker game to match. His most iconic kicks moment came when he wore mismatched blue and red versions of the T-Mac 3 for the 2004 NBA All-Star game, but his first three models are all certified classics.
The T-Mac 2, first revived earlier this year for its 20th anniversary, is getting a fetching all-black makeover. Just like the T-Mac 3 that followed it, McGrady’s second signature sneaker from Adidas features an upper fastened out of a single piece of patent leather. The unique shine that comes from the material usually reserved for dress shoes made the T-Mac 2 and T-Mac 3 some of the most dazzling sneakers on the court during the era. And now that the former is appearing in black, it bears an unmistakable resemblance to the Air Jordan 11 — one of the most heralded models of Air Jordans and the first basketball sneaker ever to make use of patent leather.
