Tracy McGrady, who played at Mount Zion Christian (N.C.) in high school, recently announced he is reviving the iconic ABC high school basketball camp. One of the most famous camps in varsity basketball, the camp ran from 1984 to 2006, with the top prospects in the nation participating.
According to a recent report from Front Office Sports, the former NBA All-Star will own 80% of the camp after purchasing the rights from Sonny Vaccaro, the founder of the camp. In the past, Vaccaro ran the camp for 22 years, with sponsorships from major sneaker brands that ended in 2006.
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“Tracy McGrady is bringing back a piece of basketball history. The seven-time All-Star is reviving the legendary ABCD camp with Sonny Vaccaro, the sneaker executive and founder of the camp. McGrady, who will own 80% of the camp, and Vaccaro, who will retain the rest.” The report revealed.
Across the years, multiple high school stars who participated in the camp would go on to play in the NBA. One of the most notable years of action from the ABCD camp was 2001, featuring multiple NBA all-stars including LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Deron Williams.
During the camp that year, the Los Angeles Lakers star and NBA Legend, James, hadn’t quite broken onto the scene yet. During the 2000-2001 season, the Lakers star averaged 25.0 and 7.2 rebounds for Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio.). He helped guide them to an undefeated season, capturing a second straight OHSAA Division III state title.
“The 2001 ABCD camp has been well documented as the moment LeBron really broke onto the scene and the whole media frenzy began for him. His legendary battle with the number one player in my class, Lenny Cooke, happened at this camp.” NBA draft analyst Matt Babcock shared.
A class of 2002 prospect, Babcock was playing for George Walton (Ga.) at the time. Included in his class were Northern Valley Regional (N.J.) star Lenny Cooke, as well as Mouth of Wilson (Va.) senior Carmelo Anthony. However, Cooke, the number one prospect that year according to ESPN, would go undrafted.
McGrady also participated in the 1997 version of the event. Playing for a prep school at the time, the future NBA star averaged 27.5 points and 8.7 rebounds going into the camp, also helping guide Mount Zion Christian to a 26-2 overall record that year. However, he was still a fringe prospect going into the draft that year.
“It was only because of Tracy McGrady that I’m doing this. He had the most impact on what I did because he was probably the biggest underdog. He was so close to not being invited because of other people’s opinions of him.” Vaccaro also revealed to Front Office Sports.
With multiple top prospects finding their way thanks to the ABCD camp, more future prospects will be afforded the same opportunity McGrady was.
For the first time, the camp will also offer an opportunity for the top female prospects in the nation, potentially including Adidas star Kaleena Smith, the best prospect in the class of 2027 according to Rivals Industry Rankings.
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