The Orlando Magic are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the team, so they had to do it big. And there’s no better way to make it big than to get Magic legend Shaquille O’Neal involved.
Today, the Magic announced that they would be retiring Shaq’s no. 32 during a postgame ceremony on Tuesday, February 15th.
With this honor, Shaq becomes the first player in Magic history to have their number retired. Orlando was the only team not to have a number retired.
“When someone asks who was the first player to officially put the Orlando Magic on the map, the answer is simple – Shaquille O’Neal,” said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. “He took this franchise to new heights, both on and off the court, and his legacy is still felt within our organization today. On behalf of the DeVos family, we are excited to honor Shaquille by raising #32 into the rafters of the Kia Center, where it will remain forever.”
Orlando selected Shaq with the first overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft and he dominated from the minute he stepped on the NBA hardwood.
In his four seasons with the team, Shaq averaged 27.2 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 2.4 apg and 2.79 blocks per game. He was a 4x NBA All-Star with the team, All-NBA Second Team once (1994-95) and All-NBA Third Team twice (1993-94, 1995-96). Shaq was also the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 1992 when he averaged 23.4 ppg, 13.9 rpg and 3.5 blocks per game.
His name is cemented in team history as he is ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in blocked shots (second, 824), rebounding (third, 3,691)
O’Neal still ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in several categories such as blocked shots (second, 824), rebounding (third, 3,691), free throws made (third, 1,602), field goals made (fourth, 3,208) and points scored (sixth, 8,019) and his career scoring average (27.2) is the second-highest in team history.
In the 1994-95 season, Shaq dominated and led the team to the NBA Finals where they lost to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. That season, Shaq averaged 29.3 ppg and 11.4 rpg while teaming up with Penny Hardaway, Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson.
Shaq went on to a Hall of Fame career that included being a 15x All-Star, 14x All-NBA, 4x NBA Champion, 3x NBA Finals MVP, 2x NBA Scoring Champion and 1x NBA MVP. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021.
