Ben Wallace will always be associated with the Detroit Pistons.
He was flanked on the stage and during his induction ceremony to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame by teammates from the 2004 Pistons team as the first of that group to enter the hall — he certainly will not or should not be the last.
To Orlando Magic fans, it probably brought up some really bad memories and some nightmares for Magic fans as Ben Wallace was a constant tormentor for the Magic in two eras — with Tracy McGrady up 3-1 in the first round and in the early days with Dwight Howard.
His journey to get to the Hall of Fame is literally from a storybook. He went undrafted out of small HBCU Virginia Union. He toiled three years with the Washington Bullets/Wizards before getting a real opportunity with the Heart & Hustle Magic.
He did not make headlines with that team, but he perfectly set the standard for what that team was about — toughness and hungry for a chance.
The Magic were the ones that gave him to the Pistons and from there he blossomed into a four-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner, an NBA champion and now a Hall of Famer.
Ben Wallace entered the Basketball Hall of Fame adding to the list of Orlando Magic alumni in the Hall. It has us wondering who comes next from the Magic family.
As Wallace said in his speech, he was always told he was too small and did not fit the NBA. He worked hard and proved everyone wrong through the process.
The Magic can take at least a little ownership of Wallace, although not much. That one year was proof of concept of Wallace’s place in the NBA. He was the starting center on a team that surprised everyone and fell one game short of the playoffs.
Wallace entered Springfield one of the most unlikeliest players to get there. And if the Magic could play a little part in getting him there all the better.
He joins Dominique Wilkins, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill among the Magic alumni to enter the Hall of Fame. The only question we have left is who comes next?
The list of Magic alumni who are set to make the Hall of Fame is starting to thin. There will be at least a few names popping up for eligibility soon. But no player primarily known for his time with the Orlando Magic — perhaps McGrady is the only true Magic player in the Hall of Fame at the moment with maybe O’Neal (although his titles came with the Los Angeles Lakers) — is set to enter the Hall of Fame until Dwight Howard makes his trip to Springfield.
It will be a little bit of a wait for the Magic to again celebrate one of their own entering the hall.
But with Wallace off the board, the question now becomes who has next for the Hall of Fame. Which Magic alum will get their call next?
The truth is, it will come sooner than we think with at least one sure lock set to become eligible soon. Updating our list from a few years ago, here are five players who are next for the Hall of Fame — not to be confused with the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
Orlando Magic: Next up for the Hall of Fame
Vince Carter (2010-11)
Hall of Fame Probability: 94.6%
There was a time in the not-so-distant past where debates of Vince Carter’s Hall of Fame credentials were sure to end friendships. In the early days of the Internet, this might as well have been the same as asking whether a hot dog was a sandwich. It split people down the middle.
The argument would go that Carter never won anything — indeed the 2010 Orlando Magic reaching the Eastern Conference Finals was his deepest playoff run — and, in some ways, he never reached his full potential because of it.
Never mind, Carter had a consistent run with the Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets where he racked up All-Star appearances and guided his team into the playoffs every year.
As Carter aged out of the NBA and redefined himself, first accepting a bench role with the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies, then becoming a mentor with the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks, nostalgia started to kick in.
This was a player who still engendered warm feelings and a sense of awe. Carter’s image was almost completely rehabilitated by the time he retired. There was a general appreciation for what he represented and his entire career.
There is zero doubt that Carter will make the Hall of Fame at this point. It is impossible to tell the story of basketball without Carter. He inspired an entire country in Canada to take up basketball and mesmerized fans for a decade-long peak.
The Magic got Carter at the end of that peak. He averaged 16.3 points per game in a season and a half with Orlando, his hometown team. It was the last time that Carter would be a reliable starter. His transformation began and it closed the Magic’s window, especially when they executed a panic trade that put them further in the hole in Dec. 2010.
Still, Carter had some good moments in Orlando. He was not the superstar the team needed to get over the top and to win the NBA Finals, but he was still solid fitting into the bigger picture with the team. And he had that 40-plus point game on national TV against the New Orleans Hornets that just made everyone believe again.
Carter’s time with the Magic will not get remembered much in the bigger picture. But Carter will get his day in Springfield in the fall of 2025.
Orlando Magic: Next up for the Hall of Fame
Dwight Howard
Hall of Fame Probability: 99.7%
Dwight Howard has taken over Vince Carter in the great Hall of Fame debate (OK, maybe it is Derrick Rose, but Ross does not engender the same visceral reaction as Howard does in many circles).
And like Carter, there should be no doubt that Howard will get his day in Springfield. The question will be whether Orlando Magic fans, the team where Howard cemented his Hall of Fame status, will accept him by then.
There is still a little time for Howard, who is still active having signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for a third tour of duty with them this offseason.
It is easy to forget, with how much Howard has deteriorated since leaving Orlando, Howard was an absolute force with the Magic. He led the league in rebounds per game for four seasons while with the Magic, adding six All-Star appearances and three Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
In his eight seasons with the Magic, he averaged 18.4 points per game, 13.0 rebounds per game and 2.2 blocks per game. That somehow does not do Howard’s work justice when he was with the Magic.
Dwight Howard might well be the best player in the franchise’s history — there is at least some debate between him and Shaquille O’Neal, a player whom Howard was constantly trying to upstage with the shadow he cast on the franchise. That will be a discussion for another day.
But what should be clear is Howard was one of the most dominant forces in the league for an extended period of time. From 2008-2012, his mere presence on the court turned your team into one of the top defensive units in the league. He was enough to make you a title contender, even if the Magic could not build that team around him after falling apart in 2010.
So again, the question is not whether Howard will make the Hall of Fame, it is when. And that when will be five years after Howard finally hangs it up.
Orlando Magic: Next up for the Hall of Fame
Horace Grant
Hall of Fame Probability: 15.2%
There are a lot of seemingly deserving names who have been eligible for a long time who have not gotten the call from Springfield yet. And it is a bit of a crime they have not.
Anfernee Hardaway is obviously one of the iconic players in Magic history and was well on track to becoming a Hall of Famer. He was an All-NBA player twice in his career. But injuries derailed him and did not give him the longevity that would put him in the Hall.
He undeniably put up Hall of Fame numbers and had the accolades to get there. But his star simply shined too bright too quickly. It takes a bit more to get to Springfield.
Shawn Kemp would be another former Magic player who should get some Hall of Fame notice. He was a dynamic player in his time with the Seattle Supersonics even if he did not get the titles to go with it — the Seattle Supersonics made the Finals in 1996 only to fall to the Chicago Bulls.
Gary Payton made the Hall of Fame from that team. And it feels a bit off not to have Kemp alongside him.
Kemp played one season with the Magic when he was well past his prime.
Both Hardaway and Kemp have good cases to make the Hall of Fame. But with so much time passed, it is hard to see either getting there.
The same could be said for Horace Grant. And his overall numbers do not suggest he is Hall of Fame-bound — career averages of 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, one All-Star appearance in 1994 and four titles as a secondary player to Michael Jordan and then Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Yet, there are some statistical indicators he should get in. And his name keeps popping up on Hall of Fame lists (not just us seeking out Magic alumni).
According to Kevin Pelton of ESPN, Horace Grant would be a better defensive ace to reward with a Hall of Fame spot than Showtime Lakers stalwart Michael Cooper. And among players not in the Hall of Fame, Horace Grant has the third most win shares, behind only Chauncy Billups (likely in) and Buck Williams (a better, but iffy case).
Grant was the ultimate role player. He was a lot better than that, of course. But he fit in really well and enhanced championship teams. His presence with the Magic in 1995 transformed the team from a young upstart into a championship contender.
Grant played for the Magic from 1995-99 and 2002-03. He averaged 11.3 and 8.2 rebounds per game in those seasons. He maintains a vital role with the Magic and he should be in team’s Hall of Fame soon.
The call from Springfield likely is not coming.
Orlando Magic: Next up for the Hall of Fame
Doc Rivers
The Basketball Hall of Fame is not just for players. There is a whole wing for coaches and contributors to the game. This weekend, for instance, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman made it to Springfield. As did Villanova coach Jay Wright.
Coaches can go in while they are still active (they have to be active for 25 years). But usually, the Hall waits for a coach to retire before bestowing the honor upon them.
Orlando might one day see Stan Van Gundy enter the Hall. Those chances feel small. It feels like the first Magic coach to get the honor of going into the Hall of Fame might well be Doc Rivers.
And the hard part to believe might be that Rivers will become eligible for the Hall of Fame in only four years. He has coached continuously since the Magic hired him during the 1999-2000 season (the famed Heart & Hustle team).
Rivers has a strong case to be in the Hall of Fame whenever the committee decides to extend the invitation.
Rivers has a career record of 992-704. He will hit the mythical 1,000-win mark this season in his second year with the Philadelphia 76ers. Rivers went 171-168 in five seasons with the Magic, his lowest win percentage with any of his teams.
He won the NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 2008. He guided the LA Clippers to once unforeseen heights, marking their best seasons with the Lob City team. He jumped over to the 76ers last year and led them to the best record in the Eastern Conference.
A lot of his story is still unwritten. But it feels like all the above adds up to a Hall of Fame resume already.
As the Magic learned in his five years with the team, he was a master at motivating players and getting the most of them. He wrung a lot out of those poorly built rosters and allowed Tracy McGrady (another Hall of Famer) to thrive.
That was, of course, only the beginning for Rivers in his coaching career. And he will get his Hall of Fame call eventually.
Orlando Magic: Next up for the Hall of Fame
Pat Williams
The Basketball Hall of Fame also has a contributor wing meant for figures who have a deep impact on the game. Among the members inducted as contributors include Jerry Colangelo, David Stern and the other former commissioners. These are usually for the elite people who helped shape basketball even if they never stepped foot on the court.
For the Magic, there are few people who had a bigger impact than Pat Williams.
Williams is the one who took the leap of faith on a small town in Central Florida that still had not come into its own. He sold them on the idea of a professional sports team, delivered on the enthusiasm and built a city-wide pillar that has only helped the city grow.
That kind of leap of faith is incredible. There are probably few figures who singlehandedly dropped a franchise into an emerging town with such enthusiasm and ardor.
It was not just his time with the Magic either. He was an executive for three other teams before settling in Orlando. He was the executive for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1974-86 that included four trips to the NBA Finals and one NBA championship.
Williams may not have had the global impact on the sport itself, but he is indelibly written in basketball’s history. And he at least should have an argument or a case in front of the Hall of Fame committee to gain entrance and have his moment.
In the end, his global impact on the game is probably not large enough to get into the hall in Springfield. But Williams has undoubtedly made a huge impact with the Magic. And founding a franchise is certainly something extremely impactful.