1989 — Round 1, Pick 10
The Orlando Magic’s original player will always be Nick Anderson.
Like Courtney Lee, nationally he has a bad reputation because of one bad moment in the NBA Finals. But that moment is nowhere near the radar of his local legacy. He will always be among the best draft picks in Orlando Magic history because of everything he gave the team in those early years.
Nick Anderson jokingly says now he could not point to Orlando on a map when he was drafted out from the Illinois Fighting Illini in 1989. This was a completely new franchise. By the time he left the organization 10 years later, he helped put Orlando on the map. And eventually he called it home — he still acts as a community ambassador.
Anderson averaged 15.4 points per game in his 10 years with the Magic. He went from leading scorer to supporting character, to ace defender to 3-point shooter to back to leading scorer in his final year with the team. He did whatever the team needed of him.
And he is still doing whatever the team needs of him it feels like. Magic fans are happy to have him around still.
To get 10 years — 10 good years — out of the team’s first ever draft pick was a great foundation for the franchise. He was never an All-Star, but he was always a rock for the team.