T-Mac grabs NBA Live 07 cover

Houston Rockets' scoring machine to front EA's upcoming basketball sim; D-Wade wins championship, rejects fabled cover curse.

E-Arts' C-Athlete T-Mac

The NBA Finals may have just wrapped up last night, but Electronic Arts is already starting to market its next NBA-licensed game. Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets was announced today as the cover athlete for NBA Live 07, which will likely ship near the tip-off of the 2006-2007 NBA season in late October.

McGrady has been awarded many honors during his nine-year career and is considered one of the league's premier players. The 27-year old was drafted straight out of high school and went on to lead the NBA in scoring in 2003 and 2004. He's dropped 62 points in a game and, in one of the greatest individual performances in NBA history, scored 13 points in the final 35 seconds of a game, leading his team to victory when many had given up.

NBA Live 07 demo

T-Mac shows off some next-gen ballin'.

The announcement of McGrady didn't come as a surprise to most. T-Mac has been prominently featured as the player model in EA's NBA Live demos, which took center stage for a portion of Sony's pre-E3 press conference earlier this year. McGrady previously had his own mobile game, T-Mac Streetball.

Perhaps the new cover honor bestowed will help McGrady follow in the footsteps of last year's NBA Live cover athlete, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, who eschewed any notion of the "EA cover curse." Wade led the Heat to the franchise's first NBA championship and earned NBA Finals MVP honors last night.

Gamers will be able to get their first look of NBA Live 07 in action soon, according to the game's Web site. On June 23, EA's Web site will show off the game's commercial, which makes its television debut during the June 28 NBA Draft.

NBA Live 07 is set to be released on the Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PSP, and PC. Today's announcement made no mention of the PlayStation 3 version, which was previously confirmed as a launch title for the console.

101 Comments

  • chester1_27

    Posted Sep 20, 2006 7:37 pm PT

    tmac is the man.... but i want to see Greg Ostertag on the cover or Brian Cardinal

  • wowlon

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 1:02 pm PT

    I hope Earl Boykins gets the cover next year...

  • Dmncn_16

    Posted Aug 15, 2006 10:13 am PT

    Wow....T-Mac is a good player but Kobe should have gotten the cover...and the MVP cause steve nash sucks....

  • anvusp

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 6:40 am PT

    Nash got MVP two years straight. Put him on the cover.
    Besides, Suns are the best, so...

  • Buns34

    Posted Jul 19, 2006 12:57 am PT

    It should be Ray Allen.

  • ThaSaint21

    Posted Jul 12, 2006 12:41 pm PT

    yo its about time dey put tmac on da cover he is one of da best n he plays on dat upper level

  • Why50Y

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 11:35 am PT

    I think they shoulda put kobe on the cover he did score 81 points

  • nikko_13

    Posted Jul 8, 2006 3:44 pm PT

    Tracy McGrady is a dawg when it comes to playing on a high level. Yeah he was hurt all season but he average what 24.5 - 25.0 ppg that little time he played thats gotta get u the the cover of NBA Live

  • cooldd844

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 9:42 pm PT

    put kevin ollie on the cover he does alot for the sixers lol

  • ultimate_zero

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 7:30 pm PT

    Ihats cool, He's one of the top players in the league

  • layzzy

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 11:40 am PT

    In a way I think its great that T-Mac's on the cover, if you think about its great for everyone that plays Live. All Live covers show what gameplay their bringing in the game. Back to Live 95 when the Knicks and Rockets were on the cover, that signified the two-player head-on competitiveness. To Live 98 when Tim Hardaway graced the cover, I dont remember what the Heats record was that year but he was practically famous for his cross-over which was first introduced in the Live series that year. To Live 2000, Tim Duncan brought inside fundamentals to the game. Live 03, Kidd gave us the give-and-go and agile defensive positioning (read increased charging calls) that became a long-time trend in the Live series. Vince Carter brought the flash and television broadcast performance-like play back to the series (my personal fav Live game other than 95 which actually set this whole Live tradition for me). D-Wade brought us the Superstar style of play, which he showed us he is, and broke the game down by position. Now with T-Mac we can expect to control an on-screen player with the versatility and agility of the man who not only can score 13 points in 35 sec. but breakdown double and triple-team defenses, self-pass dunks and and crazy free-style play. Think about it.

  • newyork_graffit

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 10:17 am PT

    They should've put LeBron James on the cover. He is way better than T-Mac and D. Wade.

  • partyarty

    Posted Jun 24, 2006 9:39 am PT

    i think t-mac is an excellent choice and its long overdue

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 7:00 am PT

    cool.

  • bigboi74

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 12:16 am PT

    T-Mac on the cover. Don't get me wrong T-Mac is bad ass but come on they should have put Kobe than T-Mac. T-Mac didn't show up last year. But wat can u do.

  • NJay12345

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 10:58 pm PT

    haha sux to be T-MAC he gonna be cursed lol

  • Jab7604

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 10:36 pm PT

    Not to take anything away form Tracy McGrady but he shouldnt be on this cover. He was injured all last year and was the main reason why the Rockets didnt make the playoffs. I think it should have been either Dirk Nowitziki, Steve Nash, Lebron James, Gilbert Arenas and maybe even Kobe ( as mutch as i cant stand Kobe ) Plus T-Mac was on an NBA XBOX exlusive title which bombed. I think next year the fans should vote on the EA sport title covers let the fans have a say so

  • balindos

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 5:53 pm PT

    xbox_gamer1

    yeah Cause the analyst also said that the lakers were the 3rd best team to go to the finals this past year and they bearly made the playoffs. T-Mac has no heart and he is just a ball hog like KOBE, AI, Lebron, and so on. After the Heat winning a championship we all know why the Lakers won 3. SHAQ. Team ball wins championships and it has been proven by all the teams that have championships. Remember Jordan? He didnt win a Championship until he passed the ball. T-MAC is a huge dissappointment and you blame injury. Was it injury that kept him from playing the second half of the season? NO it was so personal problems that should be no problem if he actually had heart for the game. Remember last year in the playoffs, when they lost a game he didnt even seem dissappointed.

    International players are taking over the league and are the ones standing out.

  • wattclock

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 1:08 pm PT

    cool, is it a you want mcgrady with the ring next year . Try Wade again . Mc grady's great but so are many nba players .I still can't wait ,still can't wait online is mine peace.

  • drunkymunky182

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 12:02 pm PT

    im a huge Tracy McGrady fan, and is my favorite player in the entire NBA. But, i dont think he should be on the cover because he missed almost the whole season due to back spasms. He was playing phenomenal, when Yao was injured, cuz he was averaging 34 ppg. Not to mention he should have deserved MVP at the All Star Game. Hopefully he will be back next season and take his team to the playoffs. cuz i love watching him play

  • riderr55

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 10:59 am PT

    T-Mac is OK, But they should have gone with Tom Brady... Oh Wait, thats right They don't put white guys on the covers, theyre not cool enough

  • BrownsTown06

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 8:18 am PT

    Tracy McGrady? Sorry but i can think of about a dozen other players off the top of my head that should have been on there before him.

  • J_A_C

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 7:37 am PT

    T-MAC!? Dwayne Wayde!? (Was already on last year's cover) It should have been KOBE!

  • odainepeck

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 7:20 am PT

    this is great, i had no dought at all that it would be t-mac.

  • bigg93e

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 7:03 am PT

    That's what I'm talkin bout T-mac on the cover thats how it should be my favorite player T-mac!!!!

  • mariomaniac92

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 6:27 am PT

    T-Mac was the last person I expected. I figured it would be Lebron or Nowitski.

  • RicoSuave29

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 5:57 am PT

    Cant wait to try out all T Macs new freestyle dunks on 07. Good choice for cover

  • barn79

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 5:06 am PT

    Kobe in the front cover? Like It'll happen... hahahaha.. Kobe's old school!! LOL!

  • SidSimelia

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 4:43 am PT

    EA has some FN balls. Who is Tracy McGrady? He may be a 30 ppg scorer, but he is not relevant to a winning team. He is past his prime, and perhaps one of the most over rated players of all time.
    Being a guy that can put it in the hole may fit the EA sports description of basketball, but the EA sports games are part of the reason that players lack fundamentals and can't play as a team. Steal it, dunk it, beat him off the dribble, dunk it. They might as well take out the pass button.
    If you're not going to put a proven winner on the cover, why not opt for a underrated player like Kirk Hinrich or Gilbert Arenas?

  • eiru

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 3:40 am PT

    jeeeeezzzzzzzzzz y T-MAC????????

  • Atomic_Mutant

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 2:34 am PT

    The video accompanying the game preview showcases the players who I think is the cover boy himself along with his predecessor on Live 06. The problem is, it being a work in progress notwithstanding, they look nothing like their real life counterparts. Somehow I have a bad feeling about this.

  • Exodion_Death

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 1:46 am PT

    flight 23!!!!11 teh lebron james

  • bisflossy

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 1:46 am PT

    I was kind of expecting Lebron from the choices on the EA website. The silouhette sort of looked like him not McGrady. Well, good for him. I would've went with Leborn cause he is being marketed by the NBA heavily. His face is everywhere....Someone would see (kids that want the game) him on the cover would press their parents to get the game. Or even the adults that play it for the hell of it. Marketing ploy that's all. Me personally, TMAC is fine on the cover doesn't really matter to me as long as the game is tight. But other players I would have thought, would've been on before TMAC. Especially, Kobe or Nash or Lebron. Look at the highlights they've put up.

  • kambion313

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 1:35 am PT

    hes securing his future...(money)....who knows what that back injury fallout is

  • Taylorgc2004

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 12:21 am PT

    If you have any doubt about how deserving McGrady is to be on the cover, just watch this vid: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/40439/tracy_mcgrady_miracle_13_points_in_35_seconds_spurs_vs_rockets/

  • MaChaorules

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 11:52 pm PT

    o wow alot of t-mac bashin umm if he was healthy along with yao the rockets could've gone to the playoffs and probably get to the 2nd round considering how good they play when both are healthy

  • elpuertorican

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 11:05 pm PT

    Great!!!!*goes out and buys NBA 2K7*

  • dcl1993

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 10:54 pm PT

    PR0Ph3cY He can out do u in everything in bball.. hes an all-star lol but he is cock eyed

  • dcl1993

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 10:53 pm PT

    Put D-Wade!!!
    That is a horrible image might I mention..

  • PR0Ph3cY

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 10:46 pm PT

    YEEEAAA u gotta love that cross eyed idiot t-mac, he can play 4real

  • hanapepe_dragon

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 10:00 pm PT

    Okay, but I'm still going to buy NBA 2K7 for sure. EA has to do something super amazing in order for me to change my mind, cause NBA Live 06 sucked in terms of innovation.

  • king_tim

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 9:37 pm PT

    lebron james should be in ther cover he looks better

  • caddilac_pimpin

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 9:19 pm PT

    yup next yur houston gonna win the finals and t-mac gonna be the finals MVP

  • rynmls

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 8:45 pm PT

    t-mac can be great cover for nba live

  • 777rak

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 8:37 pm PT

    Congrats to him

    Go Charlotte Bobcats

  • ZantetsukenEX

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 7:39 pm PT

    Dirk?

  • gnbfd

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 7:20 pm PT

    Bad news for GCN owners. But why T-MAC???? It should've been Bryant, Nash, Wallace, or even Nowitzky (I hate him and I misspelled his name).

  • gzup2par

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 6:47 pm PT

    t mac jus had tha worst season of his career he dosnt need 2 b on tha cover

  • ocdog45

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 6:36 pm PT

    BOOOOO!

  • g_hart

    Posted Jun 21, 2006 6:24 pm PT

    Not that the curse applies to any game but Madden, but maybe the Madden team can take a page from NBA Live. If you put a player on the cover that was injured most of last season, he has nowhere to go but up. Maybe they will put Grant Hill on the cover next year.

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