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Orlando Magic Top 25: The Nos. 16-20 best players in Orlando Magic history

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Orlando's Steve Francis drives the lane during the second half of the Orlando Magic's 89-81 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida, Sunday, January 29, 2006. (Photo by Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images)
Orlando's Steve Francis drives the lane during the second half of the Orlando Magic's 89-81 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida, Sunday, January 29, 2006. (Photo by Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images) /
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20. Rony Seikaly (1997-98)

High/Low: 10/UR

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Rony Seikaly had the ignoble honor of being the first man to replace Shaquille O’Neal.

That was an impossible task. There is simply no one who could replace O’Neal short of one of the great centers of the 1990s. Seikaly was not one of the great centers of that era. Not even close actually.

But Seikaly was a solid center option, at least statistically. He just was not Shaq.

Seikaly finished the 1997 season averaging 17.6 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game. He played in three games during the Playoffs before an injury knocked him out. Not that he could do very much against Alonzo Mourning (or P.J. Brown).

Seikaly was a good offensive player and scorer. He might very well be one of the best offensive post players in Magic history — put him in the category with Shaquille O’Neal and Nikola Vucevic for sure. Seikaly was crafty and agile around the basket.

He just was not Shaq.

And that is ultimately his legacy. He got the first crack at filling those big shoes. And he was nowhere near that level. And, as they said in This Magic Moment, he was the center of attention in some bad ways too.

The bottom line is Seikaly just was not Shaq, no matter how much he could produce. And so he became one of many rotating centers for the Magic trying to find his replacement.