Today we continue in part 8 of a 10-part series at Once Upon a Dribble!

During the 2022 playoffs the NBA began awarding MVP awards to the best performing player of each conference finals: the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award and the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award, named for the two players credited for building the league up to greater popularity in the 1980s.

This begs the question, with the award just being handed out for the first time last season, who are the deserving winners from the previous 50+ years of NBA history?Find out today as Josh tackles the Western Conference in the 2000s!

2000: Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers - Shaquille O'Neal

2001: Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs - Shaquille O'Neal

2002: Los Angeles Lakers vs Sacramento Kings - Shaquille O'Neal

2003: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan

2004: Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves - Shaquille O'Neal2005: Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan

2006: Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns - Dirk Nowitzki

2007: San Antonio Spurs vs Utah Jazz - Tim Duncan

2008: Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs - Kobe Bryant

2009: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe Bryant

In a lot of ways, an NBA locker room is like a family. With all the good times, and the bad times, the brotherhood, and the infighting, family is the perfect metaphor.

But the family dynamic in the NBA often extends to actual family, over 10% of the 4500 players to have ever played in the NBA are directly related either as brothers, as father and son, as cousins, as grandfather and grandson, or as uncle and nephew.

In many cases, one family member outshines the rest. But occasionally, multiple branches of the same family tree achieve stardom.

Today, we take the NBA time machine back to the late 90s and 2000s, and explore the lives of two family members who hit the highest echelons of the NBA, but failed to take the final steps into NBA immortality

Join us in PART 1 OF 2 as we look at the lives and times of two cousins from Flordia who became NBA household names: Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady.

Today Calvan talks to us about T-Mac. In Part 1 Josh talked about Vince.

This is once upon a dribble!

In a lot of ways, an NBA locker room is like a family. With all the good times, and the bad times, the brotherhood, and the infighting, family is the perfect metaphor.

But the family dynamic in the NBA often extends to actual family, over 10% of the 4500 players to have ever played in the NBA are directly related either as brothers, as father and son, as cousins, as grandfather and grandson, or as uncle and nephew.

In many cases, one family member outshines the rest. But occasionally, multiple branches of the same family tree achieve stardom.

Today, we take the NBA time machine back to the late 90s and 2000s, and explore the lives of two family members who hit the highest echelons of the NBA, but failed to take the final steps into NBA immortality

Join us in PART 1 OF 2 as we look at the lives and times of two cousins from Flordia who became NBA household names: Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady.

Today Josh talks to us about Vince. In Part 2 Calvan will talk about T-Mac.

This is once upon a dribble!