LAKELAND, Fla. — Tracy McGrady is a seven time NBA All-Star and Auburndale native who is investing in his hometown community.

What You Need To Know

  • Tracy McGrady opens new family-style restaurant in Lakeland called HomeCourt

  • McGrad invested $1 million into his new restaurant and hometown community

  • Restaurant created over 70 jobs in the community

  • Grand-opening for restaurant is Wednesday

“The grand-opening for HomeCourt is Wednesday and we’re really excited,” said McGrady, a 2017 Basketball Hall of Fame class member. “This has been a two year process that was slowed down by the pandemic.”

The city of Lakeland is now home to McGrady’s first restaurant, HomeCourt — a sports-styled venue with unique items on the menu like the PB&J burger. 

The restuarant is located in the Merchant's Walk plaza.

“I love my community, I never forget where I came from,” said McGrady. “I didn’t have that inspiration within my own community that came back and inspired me to be what I wanted to be. I had to look from afar.”

McGrady spent $1 million on the new family-style restaurant but he told me his vision for what this will bring to the community is priceless.

“I walked those streets, I’ve been in those shoes; I want to be an inspiration,” he said. “You don’t have to be a professional basketball player either, you can go to school and open your own business. There’s more than one way to do it.”

Homecourt cost upwards of a million dollars to get started and that investment brought new jobs into the community.

“I really felt a passion about him making a difference where he grew up in Polk County and not just investing but creating jobs,” said McGrady’s managing partner, Hanson Li.

Li said they hired over 70 people from the community to work at Homecourt.

“We also have one of the only simulated golf courses in Polk County,” said Li.

The restaurant also plans to have gaming systems for the kids and daily happy hour for the adults.

“I’m all about family,” said McGrady. “I sit down with my 4 kids and my wife back home and have these conversations about what’s going on during the day and I want to create that type of environment here.”

McGrady said he plans to visit the restaurant when he can, and mentioned that two of his favorite items on the menu are the cajun pasta and the PB&J burger.​