The Orlando Magic have been part of the nba since 1989 with many ups and downs throughout that time. Even though they’ve been around for over three decades, Orlando is still one of the youngest franchises in the league today. Magic fans were hoping to win their first title, but there’s been a lot of exciting things to come without a ring.
The franchise has been home to a handful of legendary talent ranging from Hall of Famers to legends to role players. Any player who thrives in Orlando is likely still held in high regard by the Magic’s fan base. A history less celebrated than most other teams shouldn’t stop the discussion. NBA fans should know these things about the history of the Orlando basketball franchise.
10/10 Had four first overall draft picks with great enthusiasm
Most of the fan bases dream of winning the first overall draft pick in the NBA Draft Lottery. All teams that miss the playoffs will have a chance unless they have changed their pick to another team. The Orlando Magic struck gold with four lottery wins with notable results.
Shaquille O’Neal was his first selection of those four in 1992 and he went on to become one of the greatest of all time. Orlando won it in 1993, but they drafted top prospect Chris Webber to trade him for Penny Hardaway. Dwight Howard was next in 2004 coming out of high school. The most recent Paolo Banchero already looks like a star to give you four big scenarios all in development.
9/10 The Only Team That Eliminated Michael Jordan Among Threepeats
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One of the greatest achievements for the non-title Orlando Magic franchise came in the 1995 NBA Playoffs. Michael Jordan had just returned from retirement to play baseball after sitting out a season and a half for the Chicago Bulls.
The hope was that Jordan could still lead them to a title, but Orlando ended up knocking them out in the second round. This was the only time Jordan had been eliminated by a team in a playoff season after he won his first NBA Championship in 1991.
8/10 Orlando’s best winning season ended with Michael Jordan’s revenge
The Orlando Magic celebrated when they defeated the Chicago Bulls, but came up short in the 1995 NBA Finals. Things looked promising the next season when Orlando set a franchise record for best regular-season record of 60-22.
The problem was that the Bulls set an all-time NBA record with 72 wins. A highly anticipated rematch came in the Eastern Conference Finals and saw Michael Jordan get the ultimate revenge. Chicago swept Orlando and Jordan averaged 30 points in Shaquille O’Neal’s final season before leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers.
7/10 Dwight Howard has every Defensive Player of the Year award in franchise history
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The Orlando Magic franchise is tied for fourth most defensive player awards in franchise history. However, they’re also the only franchise on that short list to have them all come from a single player while he played there.
Dwight Howard won all three of his Defensive Player of the Year awards for Orlando in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Many fans forget that Howard was once dominant enough to be the only player to win that award three straight seasons.
6/10 Nick Anderson’s free throw shooting collapsed after NBA Finals disaster
The biggest “what if” in Orlando Magic history dates back to the infamous night of Nick Anderson’s collapse. Orlando’s respected guard only had to make one of four free throws to clinch Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. Anderson missed four straight and the Houston Rockets tied the game on the next possession with an extending 3-pointer. to the extension
Houston won the game and swept Orlando despite being the favorite. However, the story got wilder, as Anderson’s free kicks worsened after he lost confidence. Anderson shot 69% and 40% over the next few seasons and never went back to 70% or higher shooting.
5/10 Dwight Howard technically took them further than Shaquille O’Neal
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The rivalry between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard in the media saw the two trading barbs over the years. Shaq clearly didn’t like a new center using his old Superman moniker while he, too, was playing for a franchise he helped get off the ground.
However, Howard can maintain one thing about O’Neal when looking back on his Magic stints. Shaq never won a game in the NBA Finals during the one time he got there for Orlando. Howard won at least one game in the 2009 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers as the Magic’s highest pick.
4/10 Scott Skiles set an NBA record with 30 assists in the game for Orlando
The Orlando Magic witnessed arguably their best performance ever coming from the most unlikely players in their second season in the league. Point guard Scott Skiles never made an All-Star Game and finished his career with modest career averages of 11.1 points and 6.5 assists per game.
However, one night in 1990, Skiles turned in a historic game with a record 30 assists. Skiles had an all-time great game with 22 points and 30 assists against the Denver Nuggets. John Stockton, with 28 assists, is the closest anyone has come since that night to matching him.
3/10 Tracy McGrady is the only player to score more than 60 points in a single game.
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Tracy McGrady’s shock move joining the Orlando Magic changed both parties going forward. McGrady got his first opportunity to show star potential and became one of the best offensive players of his generation. Orlando also became exciting to watch for the first time since Shaq left and Penny Hardaway suffered injuries.
McGrady easily holds the Magic record for most points scored in a single game with 62 against the Washington Wizards. The record sees him nine full points clear of second place when Shaquille O’Neal scored 53 points in 1994.
2/10 Dwight Howard holds franchise record for career points
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It has become more difficult for recent players to set franchise all-time scoring records, as few names stick long enough with a team. Dwight Howard spent eight seasons with the Orlando Magic and saw him set his current franchise record.
Orlando sees Howard atop the standings with the most franchise points at 11,435 points. Nick Anderson watched Howard surpass his previous record of 10,650 points. Fans can expect Tracy McGrady or Shaquille O’Neal to be in the top two, but neither made it long enough to reach that accolade.
1/10 Tied for Most Improved Player of the Year Award Winners Total
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A major achievement for the Orlando Magic, they are currently tied for the most Most Improved Player Awards in franchise history. The Indiana Pacers are the other team tied with them with five overall winners, but Orlando had a more varied roster of players.
Scott Skiles, Darrell Armstrong, Tracy McGrady, Hedo Turkoglu and Ryan Anderson each won the award as a member of the Magic franchise. McGrady was the only one of those names to make the leap to All-Star and superstar status, but they all earned it the same way by improving on their previous roles.