Orlando Magic Daily
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Ranking the Orlando Magic’s best performances at the All-Star Game

By Philip Rossman-Reich

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 17: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards and Team LeBron shoots against Nikola Vu?evi? #9 of the Orlando Magic and Team Giannis during the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Team LeBron won 178-164. 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. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 17: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards and Team LeBron shoots against Nikola Vu?evi? #9 of the Orlando Magic and Team Giannis during the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Team LeBron won 178-164. 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. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
ORLANDO, FL – FEBRUARY 26: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic and the Eastern Conference dunks against Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Western Conference during the 2012 NBA All-Star Game at the Amway Center on February 26, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. 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. (Photo by Pool/Getty Images) /

15. 2009 Rashard Lewis

8 points, 6 rebounds, 3/6 FGs

Rashard Lewis made his lone All-Star team in an Orlando Magic uniform during the team’s historic 2009 season. Of course, no one knew it would be so historic at the time.

The coaches gave Rashard Lewis the honor for a number of reasons. First was the Orlando Magic’s record. They were one of the best teams in the league and clearly deserved at least two players on the team as a sort of team award (the second guy should have been Jameer Nelson).

Lewis though gets the love from the coaches for the sacrifices he made. He did not want to play power forward when he signed with Orlando, but his willingness to do so turned the team into a title contender. This was not even his best scoring season.

But Lewis was still averaging 17.7 points per game and his ability to defend the post and stretch the floor as a 3-pointer made the stretch-4 a viable winning formula. Everyone in today’s NBA is building off the foundation Lewis firmly settled.

Lewis was still an end-of-the-bench guy in the All-Star Game itself. That afforded him few opportunities. He got his shots up and was generally not a detriment in those fill-in minutes that happen during the middle parts of the game itself.

14. 2012 Dwight Howard

9 points, 10 rebounds, 4/9 FGs

Dwight Howard was the unofficial host to the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. The world was at his feet it seemed as he welcomed them to his city — even with trade rumors flying around and the trade deadline a week away. Nobody knew if this would be Howard’s last party in Orlando wearing Magic gear.

That ended up not being the case. But the Dwight-mare was far from over.

There was at least some talk before the game that the players might try to get Howard the MVP in this game or help set him up for a big game in his city. That never materialized.

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    • Howard had some activity early in the game, but he receded to the background quickly. This ended up being Kevin Durant‘s day as he took home MVP (some rookie named Kyrie Irving was the buzz of the weekend during the Rising Stars Challenge).

    Howard had his big All-Star Games earlier in the career. After tasting the championship, it seemed his focus was elsewhere when it came to these games. And he was just looking not to get hurt or hurt his team moving forward.

    13. 2004 Tracy McGrady

    13 points, 5/11 FGs

    Tracy McGrady’s final All-Star Game with the Orlando Magic was relatively uneventful. He had two big games the previous two years as he established himself as a superstar on the NBA front. He used those games to cement his All-Star bona fides.

    By this time, McGrady was established. He was a starter for the fourth straight season. He did not need to prove anything.

    The Magic were well out of the Playoff chase at this point. McGrady was coasting to the end of the season. Some nights he was dominant and did whatever he wanted and some nights he did not have it and the Magic were coasting to the finish anyway.

    McGrady coasted through this game. He got his stuff in and had some highlight plays. He did not completely disappear in this one. But he was not the main character he was in the All-Star story as he was the previous seasons. McGrady was not about to make a bigger deal of this game than the rest of his season.

    12. 1995 Anfernee Hardaway

    12 points, 11 assists, 4/9 FGs

    The first All-Star Game is always a difficult one. This is a huge stage and a big moment for any player in their career development. There is always a bit of nervousness in playing on the big stage. It takes some getting used to even for some supremely great players.

    Anfernee Hardaway looked comfortable at this moment. He had his teammate Shaquille O’Neal with him and his coaches there too. That helped a lot.

    It was at least a start for Hardaway as he showed off his supreme athleticism and passing ability. That was a preview for things to come with Hardaway. Especially with the team’s NBA Finals run in his future.