- 1987
- 1992
- 1996
- 2004
- 2010
- 2012
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Orlando Team Formation
The Magic were one of the four new expansion franchises awarded by the NBA in 1987 along with the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Initially, the NBA was planning to expand by three teams, with one franchise going to Florida; however, when both Miami and Orlando ownership groups made successful pitches, the expansion committee decided to expand by ... -
Drafted Shaquille O’ Neal
The Magic history was changed on May 17, 1992, when the franchise won the first pick in the 1992 NBA Draft Lottery. The Magic selected big-man Shaquille O’Neal from Louisiana State University, the biggest prize in the draft since the Knicks won Patrick Ewing. O’Neal, a 7-foot 1-inch center, made an immediate impact on the Magic, leading the club to ... -
Shaq Leaves for Los Angeles
In the 1996 offseason, O’Neal left as a free agent to the Los Angeles Lakers, dealing a huge blow to the Magic franchise. In the middle of the season, urged by player discontent, management fired coach Brian Hill and named Richie Adubato as interim coach for the rest of the season. Under Adubato, the Magic went 21–12 to compile a ... -
Dwight Howard Drafted #1
With the number one draft pick, the Magic selected high-school phenomenon and future All-Star and franchise cornerstone Dwight Howard and traded for point guard Jameer Nelson. Nelson, who most scouts speculated to be a top-10 pick, fell to the 20th pick, and the Magic traded a future first-round draft pick to the Denver Nuggets for Nelson. -
Amway Center Opens
The team’s new state of the art home arena, the Amway Center officially opened on October 1, 2010. The Orlando Magic hosted their first preseason game at Amway Center on October 10 against the New Orleans Hornets. The 2010 – 2011 regular-season home opener was on October 28 against the Washington Wizards, and the Magic won both games. -
Howard Traded to Lakers
On August 9, 2012, ESPN reported that a four-team trade would send Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein was told the Lakers were to acquire Howard, Chris Duhon, and Earl Clark, the Denver Nuggets were to acquire Andre Iguodala, the Philadelphia 76ers were to acquire Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson, and the Magic were to acquire ...
History of the Magic
The Orlando Magic is an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was established in 1989 as an expansion franchise, and such notable NBA stars as Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Patrick Ewing, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, and Rashard Lewis have played for the club throughout its young history. The franchise has also played in the NBA playoffs for more than half of its existence (14 playoff appearances in 27 years), and twice went to the NBA Finals, in 1995 and 2009. Orlando has been the second most successful of the four expansion teams brought into the league in 1988 and 1989 in terms of winning percentage, after fellow Floridian team Miami Heat.
Established
1989
City
Orlando
League History
1989 – Present / National Basketball Association
Team History
1989 – Present / Orlando Magic
Nickname
Magic – Out of a total of 4,296 submitted entries, the Orlando Sentinel sponsored a name-the-team contest for Orlando’s prospective expansion franchise, Challengers—an allusion to the space shuttle that crashed in 1986—was the most popular suggestion. Other entries included Floridians, Juice, Orbits, Astronauts, Aquamen, and Sentinels, but the panel of judges, including Orlando team officials who reviewed the suggestions, decided to go with Magic. The name is an obvious nod to the tourism-rich city’s main attraction, Disney World.
Championship
NBA Championships 0
Arena
2010 – Present / Amway Center
1989 – 2010 / Amway Arena
Owner
1991 – Present / Richard DeVos
1989 – 1991 / William du Pont III, James Hewitt and Robert Hewitt
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
6 / Orlando Fans “The Sixth Man”
*Blue is this team’s history