Filling out the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame
Shoo-Ins
The Orlando Magic did not start its Hall of Fame until the 25th season of its existence. So there is some catching up to do. Not that Orlando wants to go too fast and use up all the players. Then again as time goes by, the Magic hope to be adding more names to this list.
Still, the list of players who will be entering the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame is fairly self-evident. It should not take a whole lot to decide.
And this next group of players is a shoo-in to go in. It is just figuring out what order to put them in, when they are available to come to Orlando and when they want to get the flowers they so clearly deserve.
Dennis Scott (1991-97)
Not that anyone that is in the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame so far is undeserving — they all are — but it still seems odd that one of these early Magic players has not gotten his spot in the Hall of Fame yet. Dennis Scott was a fan favorite player and a truly revolutionary player in league history. Let’s hope it is a scheduling issue with Scott’s busy work on NBATV.
If I had to take someone to enter the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame next, it is Dennis Scott. He redefined how the 3-pointer is used in basketball as a whole, making 40.3-percent of his 3-pointers and still marking as the franchise leader in 3-pointers made at 981.
Jameer Nelson (2005-14)
It is a rare thing for any player to be with the same team for a decade. It is rare for a player to be key parts of two phases of a franchise’s history. There is nothing but love from Orlando Magic fans for Jameer Nelson, a player who had a lot of doubts after a stellar college career because of his size and worked his way up from pesky player and spark plug off the bench to All-Star on a title-contending team.
Nelson then became a great leader not only for the Magic’s Finals-contending teams in 2009 and 2010 (his run against the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2010 first round is one of the best individual series in Magic history) but also as a stabilizer in the early chaotic days after Dwight Howard left.
Rashard Lewis (2008-11)
Rashard Lewis’ time with the Orlando Magic was surprisingly short. But his impact was abundantly clear. Quite simply, Lewis transformed the NBA and turned the stretch-4 into a workable and winning position.
The fact this all started with a piece of selflessness from Lewis, who signed with the Magic hoping not to play power forward anymore, only adds to the story. And, quite frankly, adds to the mystique and fun of the Magic’s 2009 Finals run.
Hedo Turkoglu (2005-09, 2011-13)
Only adding to that mystique is Hedo Turkoglu. It might be the right idea to induct Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis together since the combination of those two forwards made the Orlando Magic so deadly.
Turkoglu gets a lot more publicity because he hit so many big shots (not that Lewis did not either) and had a carefree personality that connected well with fans. The Magic were the ones to unlock Turkoglu’s playmaking ability and forwards in the league had no clue how to handle a big forward like him who could pass and work pick and rolls so effectively.
Bo Outlaw (1998-02, 2006-08)
The Orlando Magic probably should have inducted Bo Outlaw alongside Darrell Armstrong a few years ago. Those two players defined the Heart & Hustle team that is still the darling for longtime Magic fans. They were never the most talented or skilled players, but they made up for any deficiencies with just sheer heart and will.
Outlaw is still involved with the Magic as a community ambassador. And his smile is something that still warms Magic fans’ hearts inside the Amway Center. That is a Hall of Fame statement in and of itself.
Jeff Turner (1990-96 player; 1996-2005, 2011-Present broadcaster)
The running joke on the Orlando Magic’s broadcast is that Jeff Turner was not much of a player — 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in seven seasons with the Magic. The joke is to show Turner’s stat line whenever they talk about a historic game he played in (there are usually a lot of fouls). But that is also a statement that very few people have been involved in more Magic games than Turner.
Spanning from his time as a player to sitting in on the radio broadcast and now as the TV color analyst, Turner has been involved with the Magic for almost their entire history. Turner brings the positivity you would expect in a team’s broadcast, but he does not give into bombast or cheering. He stays balanced and does a good job breaking down what is going on. Adding to the joys of being a Magic fan and giving a constant drumbeat for the franchise.