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Orlando Magic Top 30: The Most Popular Player in Orlando Magic history

By Philip Rossman-Reich

BOSTON, MA - 1994: Dennis Scott #3, Anfernee Hardaway #1, Shaquille O'Neal #32, Nick Anderson #25, and Jeff Turner #31 of the Orlando Magic return to the court during a game played circa 1994 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1994 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - 1994: Dennis Scott #3, Anfernee Hardaway #1, Shaquille O'Neal #32, Nick Anderson #25, and Jeff Turner #31 of the Orlando Magic return to the court during a game played circa 1994 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1994 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic’s Mickael Pietrus reacts after turning over the ball to Toronto Raptors’ Jose Calderon on an inbounds pass to Jameer Nelson in the final seconds of the Magic’s 110-106 loss in NBA action at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on Friday, November 12, 2010. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images) /

21. Mickael Pietrus (2009-11)

There were a lot of characters on the Orlando Magic’s 2009 Finals team. Dwight Howard would usually be enough to suck up all the oxygen. And that was back when he was likable.

Mickael Pietrus though was something else.

A fun-loving guy who was as goofy on the court as he was off it. He just seemed to enjoy everything about his teammates and about the team he was on. He, along with Hedo Turkoglu and Jamnelseer Nelson, kept those championship teams loose.

If there was a fair knock on Pietrus it was that he seemed only to show up for the big games. That was fine, of course. He showed up when it mattered.

In the 2009 Playoffs, Pietrus averaged 10.5 points per game on 38.5 percent shooting. That was all while defending the best perimeter player on the other team. He got the main call on LeBron James (who still put up one of the great individual series in Playoff history that year).

It felt like his impact was a whole lot bigger.

And that certainly plays a role in popularity. Which player do you remember having a bigger role than they actually did? Pietrus might be the player that best exemplifies this notion. He brought a lot of memories and had a lot of big moments that statistics will never capture.

He was just a great player to have around and someone necessary for the Magic to make the title run. And certainly one of the big reasons that team was so much fun.