Marreese Speights lives his dream after reaching the top

Marreese Speights has experienced the high of winning a NBA title. He achieved a second dream Thursday — joining the Orlando Magic.

Marreese Speights reached the pinnacle of basketball during the 2015 season.

The journeyman center had struggled to find his NBA fit before stumbling upon the Golden State Warriors. To keep up with them he had to change his game, developing into a 3-point shooter. That turned him then into a solid contributor and bench player. The 3-point shot helped save his career. Even after he left for the LA Clippers.

One more dream was left. Something that was a lot more personal.

Speights still wants to win. But he grew up cheering for the Orlando Magic in the St. Petersburg area. Weekends watching the NBA meant the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls and really no one else. Basketball meant watching Darrell Armstrong and Tracy McGrady.

A man who has been to the top of the NBA said putting on the Magic’s jersey for the first time this season, after signing a one-year contract with the team, will be as emotional as any other in his career.

No one tell him Nike is reportedly bringing back the original pinstripe uniforms as part of the new uniform set.

"“I feel like the opportunity is huge to come here,” Speights told Orlando Magic Daily. “It was my dream to come here since I started watching basketball. The opportunity to come here is an unreal feeling.”"

Speights will not fill out the same kind of ticket requests he did when the Warriors or Clippers played their lone game in Central Florida. He will be playing near his hometown a bit more regularly. His family will be on their own to watch him play more often than not.

But Speights is not in Orlando for merely a homecoming. He adds something to the team and the game.

Last season with the Clippers, Speights averaged 8.7 points per game while shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc in 15.7 minutes per game. He was a spark plug off the bench for the Clippers, just as he was with the Warriors.

And it is here where his role with the Magic will lie.

Speights has always been a player who could spread the floor — first with his mid-range jumper and then with his 3-point shot — and create instant offense. His career has been built off this energy and instant scoring ability.

The team is expecting nothing less this year than for Speights to do what he always does.

"“I just know my role in this league,” Speights told Orlando Magic Daily. “I know if I want to stay in this league, I’ve got to be a role player. That’s my role and it has always been my role to give a spark when the team is down. That’s what a championship team does.”"

All the Magic want him to do is that. And Speights knows it too, having been to the top of the mountain.

Speights will be the first player on the Magic roster to have won a NBA title since Glen Davis was on the team. Like Davis, Speights was just a bit player on that title team. But even that can have an impact on the team. For all of Davis’ flaws, he was still a good leader on the floor.

Orlando Magic

He may not be a leader in the traditional sense, but his experience around the league in varied roles should help the team. Especially if the Magic find themselves playing meaningful games later in the eyar. Speights has been through those battles, even well deep into the season.

The team is hoping Speights can impart some of that championship wisdom onto his teammates.

"“Winning a championship, I won one in college and now I won in the NBA,” Speights told Orlando Magic Daily. “It is something that you dream for. For me to win in the NBA that’s what you really dream for. For me, playing for the Magic is my second dream. I’m here now. It gives you a lot of confidence knowing you have been to the top of this league. I have been through a lot of situations, for me to win a championship, really keeps me humble.”"

That was the purpose behind adding him and veteran guard Arron Afflalo. Not to mention Jonathon Simmons from the San Antonio Spurs. The team has more veterans and winning experience than the last several years.

Speights described himself as the kind of leader who will pull a player off to the side. He is not much for ra-ra speeches or standing up and addressing the whole team. He knows he is a role player. But if he sees something from a player, he will point it out.

Speights is known for his energy off the bench. That includes when he is out of the game. He hopes his ability to stay engaged in the game from the bench will be infectious and help the team get a boost.

The place though remains something special for Speights himself.

He has lived a charmed basketball life — even dating back to being a freshman backup center on the Florida Gators’ national championship team. Speights is one of the few players in the league, and in league history, to have won both a NCAA championship and a NBA championship.

Speights said he has not really gotten word on what his role will be. He has not talked to the coaching staff much yet. But he will do whatever he is asked. Being home will make everything OK.

Putting on that jersey and holding it up for the first time meant a lot. It is something of the pinnacle for a player in this state to wear the Orlando Magic jersey — or the Miami Heat jersey if you are from South Florida.

That may be overly sentimental. But the moment means a lot to Speights. What he adds to the court will mean a lot to the Magic. His presence is critical to the team’s success even if it comes in limited minutes.

Speights has experienced the ultimate rush of a NBA championship. He may not see that with the Magic. But he will achieve that second dream of his to complete a surprisingly successful NBA career.

Next: The Magic's expectations and goals become clear

And if he can lift his favorite team back to its former glory in some small way, even better.