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The Orlando Magic will honor Shaquille O'Neal, inducting him into their Hall of Fame
The Orlando Magic have decided to honor Shaquille O’Neal, which is very nice of them.
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The former Magic centered played four seasons with the franchise between 1992 and 1996, leading the team to one NBA Finals appearance before leaving to join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in the summer of 1996. O’Neal went on to win three titles with the Lakers and one more with the Miami Heat, playing with Phoenix, Cleveland and Boston before retiring in 2011.
The Magic announced their intentions in a press release which can be found on their official website:
``Shaq put the Orlando Magic on the map – not just in the state of Florida or in the United States; he was this global phenomenon,’’ said FOX Sports Florida television play-by-play announcer David Steele, one of just three Magic employees to work for the franchise all 26 years of its existence. ``When we traveled, it was like a traveling rock show. Everybody wanted to see Shaq.’’
Because of his massive contributions to the franchise from 1992-96, O’Neal will be inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame at a private ceremony to be held on March 27 at the Amway Center. O’Neal, who turned 43 years old on March 6, will also be honored in front of the fans during the Magic’s home game against the Detroit Pistons that night.
``The Orlando Magic are honored to recognize those who have made significant contributions to our history,’’ Magic CEO Alex Martins said. ``Shaq made a tremendous impact on our franchise during his time with us and we are thrilled to recognize him as our third inductee into the Magic Hall of Fame. He carries on a great legacy of those who made the greatest contribution to the rich history of the Orlando Magic.’’
Again, this is very nice of them.
O’Neal did indeed put the Orlando Magic, working in just their fifth NBA season, on the map after being selected first overall in the 1992 NBA draft. Teaming with Anfernee Hardaway in his second season alongside holdover Nick Anderson (the only other player in the Magic’s Hall of Fame) and eventually Horace Grant, the Magic seemed poised to act as the NBA’s next great dynasty. Even with Michael Jordan’s return to action with the Chicago Bulls the O’Neal-led Magic still managed to top MJ and the Bulls in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals before making their way to the Finals.
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An injury-hit Magic squad ranked well below Chicago during the 1995-96 regular season. Chicago absolutely decimated the Magic in the first game of their Eastern Conference final pairing, knocking Horace Grant out of the series with an elbow injury. An 18-point Chicago comeback win in Game 2 of that series took the wind out of Orlando’s sails, as the team barely showed up for the third and fourth games of the series. The easy narrative painted O’Neal as already having one foot firmly planted in his upcoming free agency turn, and the guesswork wasn’t far off.
The sweep at the hands of the Bulls was the third consecutive time O’Neal and the Magic had been swept out of the playoffs. Each time the squad had gone down in a blaze of finger-pointing, and Magic fans (possibly spoiled by the early success that draft luck gave the franchise) took notice. A series of polls conducted by the Orlando Sentinel allowed cranky fans to enumerate on their belief that Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t worth a contract totaling $115 million and that firing coach Brian Hill at Shaq’s behest would act as a step back for the franchise. O’Neal, living and training in Orlando for the 1996 Olympics, was reportedly ribbed by Team USA teammates regarding what they saw in the paper each morning.
After the Magic low-balled O’Neal with a four-year, $54 million offer, Shaq took advantage of the Los Angeles Lakers cap space (and proximity to the magic of Hollywood) and signed with the team for seven years and $121 million. The Magic, mostly because of Shaq’s absence and partially because of the deterioration of Hardaway’s knees, descended into the realm of the mediocre. Hill wouldn’t last the next season, and injuries to O’Neal made it so that his first game back in Orlando came some 21 months after his final game with the Magic:
O’Neal did not do well in departure, likening his presence in Orlando to that of a “big fish in a dried-up pond,” and the Magic’s fans have had to not only watch O’Neal go on to win four other championships but also endure the endless machinations behind the drawn-out Dwight Howard melodrama from 2011-12. Currently facing their third trip to the lottery with no bonafide star to cling to, it makes sense that the 21-45 Magic are adding this bit of intrigue to their late season schedule.
And, after all, Shaq’s time in Orlando wasn’t all that bad, y’know?
This is a very nice thing that the Magic are doing.
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is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
