A New Era for the ABCD Camp
Tracy McGrady, the Hall of Fame guard who once walked the ABCD camp as a teenager, announced this week that he has secured the rights to revive the storied basketball showcase that has long served as a proving ground for high‑school phenoms.
The camp, originally established by scout Sonny Vaccaro, earned a reputation as the premier evaluation circuit for top prospects, launching stars such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Stephon Marbury into professional careers.
McGrady will own an 80 percent stake in the venture, while Vaccaro retains the remaining 20 percent, a split that reflects both the camp’s legacy and the new partnership with Adidas, which will serve as the lead sponsor when the camp reconvenes in July.
The revived program will concentrate exclusively on skill development, bringing together roughly 60 of the nation’s most promising boys and girls to hone their games under a curriculum that emphasizes fundamentals, work ethic and competitive play.
Among the alumni who credit the camp with altering their trajectories are Rashard Lewis, Gerald Green, DeAndre Jordan and Marcus Spears Jr., while lesser‑known Texas talents such as Ogechi Okeke and Jemini Mitchell have used the platform to attract NBA attention.
McGrady, who benefited from the camp’s exposure in 1996 and subsequently entered the NBA as the ninth overall pick, says his goal is to restore the camp’s original ethos of nurturing raw talent and giving aspiring athletes a clear pathway to the league.