The 10 greatest moments in Orlando Magic history
2. Drafting Shaq
June 24, 1992: Orlando Magic select Shaquille O’Neal with No. 1 overall pick
No moment may be bigger in Orlando Magic history than winning the 1992 NBA Draft Lottery and selecting Shaquille O’Neal. No matter what anyone else says, O’Neal was the only player to pick even in that vaunted draft.
He instantly turned the Magic from expansion team to playoff contender overnight.
That is an actual fact. The 1993 Rookie of the Year helped lift the Magic to 41-41, a tie for eighth place that left them outside the playoff field only on a tiebreaker. But even then, it was clear what O’Neal could do for the team — 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per game as a rookie, including an All-Star berth.
He was already extremely popular and he gave Orlando an identity outside of the theme parks. He was wholly belonging to the city and a fan base just excited to be in the game now had an actual team to cheer for.
O’Neal would only get better, especially as the Magic’s luck somehow improved. Adding Anfernee Hardaway a year later in the draft gave the Magic the seeds for a title contender. Orlando would reach the pinnacle in the 1995 NBA Finals, when their youth finally gave way to a more experienced championship-level team.
They never got the chance to get all the way to the top. In-fighting and the return of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls stood in the way of the Magic reaching that potential.
In four seasons in Orlando, O’Neal averaged 27.2 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Fans might remember the lumbering, sometimes overweight big man from his later years and time in Los Angeles. In Orlando, he was lithe and quick.
Someone his size should not have been able to race end to end as quickly as he did. He was a true transformational player.
In many ways, the Magic are still trying to outlive the shadow O’Neal cast on the franchise. He has become the measuring stick for everything the team does both as a player and as a marketing and popularity beacon. O’Neal became the first Magic player to enter the Hall of Fame and the team has never been as good or as fun as it was when he was around.