If there’s one thing you could always count on with Kenyon Martin, it’s that he wasn’t backing down — not from a stare, not from a shove, and definitely not from someone throwing around stats like they proved something. K-Mart built his 15-year NBA career on grit and edge, shaped by a childhood where even speaking out loud — thanks to a stutter — took courage. So, stepping up on the court? That was second nature. He never cared how many points you dropped or what your résumé said. And this time, it was Tracy McGrady who found himself right in Kenyon’s sights.
Kenyon Martin Sr. wasn’t just muscle and mindset — he had the numbers to back it all up. Drafted No. 1 overall in 2000, he nearly won Rookie of the Year and quickly became the Nets’ backbone. In just his second season, he averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks, leading the Nets to the 2002 NBA Finals. He followed that up with a career-high 16.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists the next year — and another Finals run. Across 283 games in New Jersey, he posted solid averages of 15.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
So when Tracy McGrady made a bold claim — saying he used to cook Kenyon every time they faced off — Martin had time that day. He wasn’t about to let T-Mac rewrite history without a fact check. Firing back on the Gil Arenas podcast, he pulled up the receipts: “Overall in my career, the winning record against Tracy, 15 and 13,” Martin said. “Some of the numbers that he stated, like you have one 40-point game… hell of a basketball player, but we’re not gonna go insinuate that every time you saw number 6 or number 4, that you just busted my a–.”
Then he got really specific. “You had 20 one game, 22 one game — but I’m just calling cap. So yeah, he had 46, he had a 46-point triple-double that game, played well, absolutely. It wasn’t like he— I was the only person he was giving 40. I went back and looked at it. He made of that I saw 4 shots on me of the 46. More than likely, if I guarded you most of the game, you didn’t get your f—— average! I don’t care who you are.”
The real twist? JR Smith jumping in with backup. In the comments of Martin’s post, his former Nuggets teammate wrote, “Talk to em! Just talking to talk.” The two played together in Denver from 2006 to 2011 — a stretch that included that 2009 Western Conference Finals run, where they battled all the way to Game 6 against Kobe’s Lakers. They’ve always kept that no-nonsense energy — and clearly, nothing’s changed.
Tracy McGrady Never Let That One Foul from Kenyon Martin Slide
That moment came on January 5, 2002, during a game between the Magic and the Nets. With just under three minutes left, Martin dropped an elbow right on T-Mac’s head, leading to a two-game suspension and a $15,000 fine for Martin. McGrady, who retaliated, was also fined $5,000 — but the Magic walked away with the win. T-Mac dropped 35 points, grabbed seven boards, and dished out five assists, and that elbow? It stayed with him. “From that point on, bro, every time I seen Kenyon Martin, I just — 46 piece, 40 piece. Like, it was just mental. Like every time I see you, I got to,” he said. “It’s personal. Yeah, it’s personal.”
Despite all that, there was no real beef between the two. T-Mac made it clear there’s a lot of respect there: “That’s my dude too. I love Kenyon. I love the way he play. I wish I had played with that motherf——. I love the dude.” Just like MJ and Kobe, McGrady had that switch. “Certain guys got that switch, you know what I mean?… I feel like 30. Y’all ain’t really giving me that juice… So I’m gonna give you a 30. But then, when you start chirping… now you start waking those juices up. And that 30 turns into a 45 piece.” That’s the kind of energy you didn’t want to mess with — or you were getting cooked.
But, Kenyon Martin reminded everyone why he was one of the toughest competitors in the league—relentless on the court, unafraid to call out even the flashiest stars, and always backed by loyal teammates like JR Smith.
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