Top 5 Basketball Players in Orlando Magic History

Top 5 Basketball Players in Orlando Magic History

The players who make us forget how short the history of the Florida franchise is

Despite not having a National Basketball Association title and being among the relatively new franchises, the Orlando Magic have considerable history behind them. In existence since 1989, the Florida State team has won the Southeast Division six times and in 1995 and 2009 became the champion of the East, which gave it the right to play in the final series, but on both occasions it was on the losing side . First the Houston Rockets, and then the Los Angeles Lakers stop Magic's flight to the trophy. Over the years, a number of players have left a lasting mark with the blue-black-grey teams. In the following lines, we will make a ranking of the five most significant basketball players in the history of the franchise.

#1 – Dwight Howard

Undisputed number one is the 208-centimeter center, who wrote history in Orlando from 2004 to 2012. Selected as the number one pick in the 2004 draft, Dwight quickly rose on the NBA scene, and from 2007 to 2014, he was a constant part of the All-Star game. In 2009 and 2010, he became the leader in umbrellas of the regular season, and in those two years, together with the following season, he was selected as the best defensive player in the association. From 2008 to 2012, when he left the Magic for the Lakers, he was on the team of the campaign, and during his time in Orlando he became the leader in the most rebounds as many as 4 times. After 2012, Howard's career passed 3 times through the Lakers, with whom he also won the title in 2020, as well as through the teams of the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. The 36-year-old center is currently in his third season with the Lakers and still has an important role to play, but nothing compares to his Magic years.

#2 – Shaquille O'Neal

This is at least the third team he has played for and is ranked among the best basketball players. Because Shaq is not just Shaq, he is one of the most memorable basketball players. Everyone knows that his strongest periods were with the Lakers and the Miami Heat, but before returning to Florida to put the team "hot", O'Neal began his NBA career with the Orlando Magic. Even just for selecting the Giants number one in the draft from this team, we have to love the team from Orlando. Since his sophomore season, Shaq has been a fixture in the All-Star Game, and his four first-team appearances have been followed by 11 more. O'Neal was also named Rookie of the Year in 1993, and two years later later became the scoring leader with an average of 29.3 per game in the 94/95 season. His averages before leaving for Los Angeles were 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per contest, and his shooting percentage for the Magic was 58.1%. Whatever we say about Shaq will be little.

#3 – Penny Hardaway

A fan favorite, one of Florida's most memorable basketball players, a true athlete and a wonderful competitor with exceptional qualities. This is Anfernie Hardaway, better known simply as Penny. The guard began his career in Orlando in 1993, being selected by the Golden State Warriors at number three in the draft, but never played for the "wars". Within five seasons, he left a lasting mark on the Florida franchise. Together with Shaq, they managed to lead the Magic to the finals in 1995, when Penny also made the first of 4 All-Star appearances. Already in 1994, he made an impression as a rookie and was selected to the team of the season of debutants, and in the next 2 campaigns he was invariably part of the best basketball players in the NBA. In 1999, he took the direction of Phoenix, but never managed to reach the indicators demonstrated in Orlando - 19 points, 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game average.

#4 – Tracy McGrady

Far more prolific and highly valued on defense, Tracy McGrady also has a storied history in Orlando, where he spent four seasons between 2000 and 2004. He was a four-time All-Star, twice named to the All-NBA regular season team, and twice led in scoring. In 2001, he was chosen as the most progressive player. For the Magic team, he averaged 28.1 points per game, and also contributed with 5.2 assists, 7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1 umbrella. An extremely complex player who came from the Toronto team and continued his career in Houston. Nowhere else, however, did Tracy leave as lasting a mark as on the Orlando Magic.

No. 5 – Nikola Vucevic

It is right to include a European in the ranking. Nikola Vucevic is a guy who had high hopes in Orlando for the team to once again reach the final series for the title. The Montenegrin has been a part of the NBA since the 11/12 season, when Philadelphia chose him at number 16 in the draft, but from the next campaign he moved to Orlando and until 2021 he became one of the most important and valuable players in the Magic's history. His most consistent performance came in the ninth campaign, in which Vouch averaged 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game before the Chicago Bulls selected him to be Zach LaVine's teammate with whom they would chase the NBA title. Vucevic also made two All-Star appearances while in Orlando.

There are other memorable names in Magic history that are worth mentioning, but fall just short of making the top five. Another one of the most complex players, who is also in the team for its first final in history, is Nick Anderson, who spent 10 seasons with the Magic team and partnered quite successfully with Shaquille O'Neal. At the turn of the century, Florida fans can't help but remember Grant Hill. The beginning of his career was more than remarkable, but then came the injuries, after which he could not maintain the set pace of 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals. Horace Grant brings us back to the first Magic team that triumphed in the Eastern Conference. But for a three-time champion, the heavy-hitting winger doesn't seem to be able to live up to the extremely high expectations placed on him in Orlando. Another European, Hedo Turkoglu, is also among the important players of Orlando, where he spent the years between 2004 and 2009, which are undoubtedly among his strongest. Names like Scott Skiles, Darrell Armstrong, Richard Lewis and Vince Carter also deserve a mention when talking about the best basketball players to have been a part of the Orlando Magic franchise.

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