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Orlando Magic Top 25: The Nos. 1-5 best players in Orlando Magic history

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic jumps wearing a Superman Cape in the Sprite Slam-Dunk Contest at the New Orleans Arena during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend February 16, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Howard won the contest with his series of dunks. AFP PHOTO TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic jumps wearing a Superman Cape in the Sprite Slam-Dunk Contest at the New Orleans Arena during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend February 16, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Howard won the contest with his series of dunks. AFP PHOTO TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) /
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4. Tracy McGrady (2001-04)

High/Low: 2/4

By Spencer Henderson

Tracy McGrady is ranked so high because he was the only Magic player to average 32.1 points per game in a season.

Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway are considered the organization’s foundational players. But neither averaged that much or had that kind of scoring prowess. Hardaway never won a scoring title during his career. O’Neal won two scoring titles, once with the Orlando Magic (1995) and once with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000). But never scoring that much.

Think about this for a minute. McGrady led the NBA in scoring in back-to-back years in 2003 and 2004. No other player in Orlando Magic history has led the league in scoring back-to-back years.

That is something Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have yet to accomplish. The only players other than McGrady who have defended their scoring titles in the modern NBA were Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. Some elite company.

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During the 2003 season, McGrady’s stat line was 32.1 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, 5.5 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game. O’Neal is the only player who would come close to a stat line like McGrady’s. During O’Neal’s sophomore season, he averaged 29.3 points per game, 13.2 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocks per game.

The reason for the different levels of success between the two stars while wearing a Magic jersey was the availability of the the other star player on the roster.

The Magic tried to put legitimate NBA stars around McGrady, but failed to finish the deal to acquire Tim Duncan from the San Antonio Spurs. And Grant Hill could not stay healthy long enough to make a playoff push.

McGrady’s career would have been completely different alongside a healthy Grant Hill and Tim Duncan.

Although McGrady never made a deep push in postseason play like O’Neal, he is clearly the best all-around scorer in Orlando Magic history.