Copyright Athlon Sports
As a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member and a seven-time NBA All-Star, Tracy McGrady is widely regarded as one of the best scorers the sport has seen. McGrady, 46, retired from the NBA in 2013, following a magical 15-year career. Following his retirement, he hung around basketball, with stops at both ESPN and TNT as an analyst. Ahead of the upcoming season, McGrady signed on to be a key part of NBC’s NBA coverage, as he will be serving as a studio analyst. Aside from his new media gig, McGrady is also dabbling in business opportunities off of the court. As announced on Instagram, McGrady has accepted an offer to not only partner with, to become the Chief Innovation Officer of huupe. The company produces smart mini basketball hoops that not only track your stats, but also have mini games. Joining him as an advisor is his eight-time NBA All-Star and his former Toronto Raptors teammate, Vince Carter. “I am excited to announce that I am officially joining @huupeofficial to become the company’s Chief Innovation Officer,” wrote McGrady. And @mrvincecarter15 is joining as a fellow advisor with me to help bring an incredible innovation to the game we love.” As shared in McGrady’s post, the huupe mini is now available for purchase, and is listed for $499 on the company site where it has been tabbed as the first of its kind. “The huupe mini is the world’s first smart mini basketball hoop game console, with cutting edge technology inside the backboard, that allows you to play and compete with friends around the world through dozens of different game modes,” reads the site. “The huupe mini uses advanced AI sensor technology to track all of your shots (all without cameras).” Aside from being able to track their makes or misses, fans can also watch television on the hoop as well as it doubles as a smart TV. We have certainly come a long way from those flimsy plastic hoops on the back of doors that frequently led to arguments over who broke it from dunking too hard.
