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Orlando Magic Top 30: The Most Under-Appreciated Player in Orlando Magic History

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Everyone remembers the Orlando Magic's superstars like Dwight Howard. What about players we don't talk about much like Jason Richardson? (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Everyone remembers the Orlando Magic's superstars like Dwight Howard. What about players we don't talk about much like Jason Richardson? (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) /
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Darrell Armstrong, Orlando Magic, Damon Stoudamire, Portland Trail blazers
The myth of Darrell Armstrong makes him a fan favorite. But we often forget how solid he was a player. (Photo credit should read TONY RANZE/AFP/Getty Images) /

17. Darrell Armstrong (1995-2003)

It is hard to think that Darrell Armstrong is underappreciated. He remains one of the most popular players in franchise history. Mentioning his name will undoubtedly engender warm feelings.

It is to the point that fans outside of Orlando probably do not understand how beloved Armstrong really is for those who watched him.

It would not be the most surprising thing if the Magic one day decided to start selling No. 10 jerseys with Armstrong’s name in the team shop. And it is only a matter of time before he gets a call to join the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.

But Armstrong is a player easy to forget if you did not watch him. As there come new generations of fans who did not see Armstrong play, he will be a curiosity. A player older fans tell stories about but nobody really gets.

It is easy to remember the floor burns — like the nasty one he got diving on the floor against the Chicago Bulls to set up a critical layup. It is easy to remember the steals — like the one he had against the Philadelphia 76ers that he took for a game-winning layup. It is easy to remember just the will and energy Armstrong had every time he stepped on the floor.

And it is easy to remember the baggy beige suits he wore when he got introduced to the league during the Magic’s 1995 run to the NBA Finals (the team signed him late that season).

But what most probably do not remember is that he was a pretty darn good player. Something much more than an energy player. The Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player Award trophies he got in 1999 would attest to that.

He averaged 11.7 points and 5.1 assists per game in his time with the Magic, topping off at 16.2 points per game in 2000 and 7.0 assists per game in 2001. He made his mark putting the defensive clamps on Tim Hardaway in the 1997 Playoffs. And the rest was history.

The only reason Armstrong would make this list is to make sure everyone remembers just how good he was for the Magic. And make sure he remains one of the most popular players in Magic history.