Dad of the Week: Tracy McGrady

July 9, 2007 - As the WNBA celebrates Dads and Daughters throughout the season, we will be recognizing a "Dad of the Week" who not only exemplifies all of the qualities of outstanding father, but also recognizes the role that the WNBA can play in the lives of girls and women.

This week we honor a real All-Star dad. Houston Rockets forward Tracy McGrady is not just an All-Star on the court, but he is an M.V.P. father to his daughter, Layla. He and his wife, CleRenda, also have a son, Laymen. But while his son is still too young to appreciate sports, Tracy and Layla enjoy spending time together doing just about everything.

"It doesn�t really matter what we are doing as long as we are together," T-Mac said. "She�s got a lot of energy, so just keeping up with her is good enough for me!"

But McGrady knows that one great way to spend his down time with his daughter is by sharing in something they can both appreciate: a Houston Comets game. Just about the time McGrady's Rockets are winding down their seasons at the Toyota Center, the Comets are just getting started. He also gets pretty good seats.

"We probably go to a handful of games each season. My offseasons stay pretty busy, so I�m usually traveling and doing appearances for sponsors," the seven-time NBA All-Star said. "However, whenever I�m in town and looking to spend some 'q.t.' with my Layla, we�ll head down to Toyota Center and catch a game."

As a two-time NBA scoring champion, McGrady can recognize talent when he sees it, and knows that two of the best of in the WNBA can be found right there in his city. But he also knows that the Comets have established a legacy of their own and left their mark on the sports landscape.

"When it comes to Houston, you have to talk about Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson," he acknowledges."

Along with other NBA stars around the league, McGrady's experience with the WNBA has shown him that young girls like his daughter need role models and the WNBA is an excellent place to look.

"I think the WNBA is a good way of providing role models for young girls who want to play sports. There aren�t really a lot of options for women in terms of playing professional sports and I think it�s great that the WNBA allows girls to be able to dream of making it to the pros, just like I did as a kid."

While Layla is still too young to play basketball and really any sport for that matter, Tracy hopes he has the opportunity to coach one of her teams, though he admits it might be a challenge for him. Of course, he only needs to look at Bill Laimbeer, Brian Winters and Michael Cooper for advice if he needs some coaching advice.

"I think that would be pretty cool. I don�t know what kind of coach I would be. Hopefully I would just be able to enjoy helping her get better, but knowing my competitive side, I�d probably go nuts every time we�d lose."