Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce and now Tracy McGrady. The preceding NBA superstars, both retired and active, make up only a fraction of the big names that “trainer to the stars” Tim Grover can list on his resume as clients.
So when Houston Rocket and seven-time All-Star shooting guard Tracy McGrady came to Chicago in February to have season-ending surgery on his ailing left knee, it seemed obvious that he would turn to Grover to get him through the mental and physical grind of rehabilitation.
“The guy trained MJ (Michael Jordan), the greatest basketball player to live,” McGrady said of Grover. “That pretty much speaks for itself — he’s a true mastermind.”
Along with McGrady’s own rehabilitation came “Rehab to Redemption,” a three-day boot camp run by Grover this weekend for athletes aged 16 through 40. The $199-camp began Friday and ends Sunday at Grover’s state-of-the-art, 65,000-square-foot facility, Attack Athletics, at 2641 W. Harrison St. on the West Side.
According to a press release, boot camp athletes underwent intensive injury rehabilitation, learned about injury prevention and took part in strength, conditioning, agility and quickness training.
During a recent interview with TheMash to talk about the coed event, McGrady left no questions when it came to his involvement in the camp.
“I’m going to be participating just like everyone else,” he said with a smile.
The camp was promoted through McGrady’s new Web site, skillzlab.com, where mentors — called professorz — dole out advice and instruction to those seeking professional know-how in sports or entertainment-related fields.
When he spoke with TheMash, McGrady seemed genuinely excited about the evolution of skillzlab, commenting, “Professor McGrady, that’s me!”
He added that he hopes to add more professorz in the near future, perhaps such as motocross champion James “Bubba” Stewart.
McGrady elaborated on the concept of skillzlab.com, saying “I created skillzlab in order to get closer to my fans, and Rehab to Redemption is an extension of that.”
When the new basketball season starts this fall, McGrady is expected to return to the court after his work with Grover on his knee. His experience with the camp, he said, may give fans a sense of what the pros endure when they are injured.
“The fans can get a sense of what I’m going through to get back to the same level I was at,” he said.
