In looking back at the NBA Draft history of the Orlando Magic, it’s easy to consider 1992 as one of the most pivotal years in the 32-year history of the franchise. The Magic currently are at a crossroads and the 2021 NBA Draft, which takes place Thursday, could have a similar impact on the team’s history.
The Magic have two picks in the Top 10 at Nos. 5 and 8 as well as the third pick of the second round at No. 33. How these draft picks pan out will be instrumental in the team’s rebuilding process.
With that in mind, today we look at the Magic’s history of draft picks with the focus on the best five selections in the Magic’s past.
Shaquille O’Neal, LSU, 1992, No. 1 pick
Center, 7-foot, 285 pounds
Shaq turned the franchise into a major NBA player overnight. Within his first three years, the Magic already were NBA title contenders and made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 1995, losing to the Houston Rockets. It was one of the fastest trips into contention for an expansion team in the history of the league as the Magic took just six seasons. Shaq still holds the Magic record for blocks per game at 2.8 and over his career he averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in 20 seasons, only four of which were spent with the Magic after an ugly separation from the team in 1996. Shaq was a 15-time NBA All-Star, earned rookie-of-the-year honors his first season in Orlando and was named NBA MVP in 2000 while with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won four NBA titles, three with the Lakers and one with the Miami Heat.
Dwight Howard, SW Atlanta Christian Academy, 2004, No. 1 pick
Center, 6-foot-11, 265 pounds
Howard is the only player the Magic have drafted straight out of high school. The selection of Howard was nothing short of genius for the Magic front office because most NBA experts thought the Magic made a huge mistake in not taking Emeka Okafor out of UConn as the top pick. The Magic made all those experts look silly. Howard’s impact was immediate. He averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds in his first season and kept getting better, becoming a force in the NBA. His game constantly evolved and he was named NBA defensive player of the year three straight seasons (2009-11). Howard, like Shaq, eventually led the Magic to the NBA Finals, where the team lost to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in 2009. Howard still holds Magic all-time records in more than 15 categories, including most career points (11,435), rebounds (8,072), blocks (1,344) and minutes played (22,471). He played all 82 games in each of his first four years as a pro. Howard, like Shaq, was also part of a bit of an ugly breakup with the Magic. He was traded to the Lakers in 2012 in a crazy four-team deal. He played one year in L.A. before moving on and he had stints with the Rockets, Hawks, Hornets and Wizards before returning to the Lakers last season, where he finally got his first NBA title ring. He is still currently active in the league and plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway, Memphis State, 1993
(Acquired in draft-night trade that sent No. 1 pick Chris Webber to Golden State)
Guard, 6-foot-7, 195 pounds
Hardaway, who became better known by his nickname “Penny,” was the third piece of the puzzle the Magic put together to create the 1995 NBA Eastern champions. He teamed with No. 1 pick Shaq and the Magic’s first-ever draft selection Nick Anderson from 1989 to lead Orlando to the NBA Finals in just his second season as a pro. In those first two years, Penny averaged 18 points, seven assists and two steals while making nearly 50% of his floor shots.
The defensive stalwart still holds the Magic record for average steals per game with 1.9 over his six seasons in Orlando, the final two seasons of which were injury-plagued. As with O’Neal and Howard, Hardaway’s split with the team also included dismay. He became bitter after the departure of Shaq and in 1997 led a coup that led to the firing of coach Brian Hill. Two seasons later, Hardaway was traded to Phoenix for Pat Garrity, Danny Manning and a pair of future first-round draft picks. Hardaway was a four-time NBA All-Star and is currently the head coach at alma mater University of Memphis.
Nick Anderson, Illinois, 1989, No. 11 pick
Guard, 6-foot-6, 228 pounds
Most people probably didn’t figure it at the time, but Anderson would become one of the most impactful draft picks of all time for the Magic. The team’s first draft selection was the veteran glue, along with Dennis Scott, that held all the pieces together in the Magic’s six-year climb to Eastern Conference champions. He played 10 seasons for the Magic and his contributions were steady in each one. He never averaged less than 11 points per game, marking a high of 20 points per game in both 1992 and 1993, and he averaged under five rebounds per game just three times in his Magic career. In his Magic career he averaged 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is the Magic career leader in games played (692), steals (1,004) and 3-point field goal attempts (2,480), of which he made 36%. Unfortunately for Anderson he will always be remembered for missing four straight free throws in the final 10 seconds of regulation in Game 1 of the 1995 Finals that most people say eventually cost the Magic the series. The Magic led the game by three points when Anderson went to the line, but the missed charities allowed Houston to force overtime. Orlando lost Game 1 and then were swept by Houston. Anderson is still part of the franchise, working in the community-relations realm.
Dennis Scott, Georgia Tech, 1990, No. 4 pick
Forward, 6-foot-8, 229 pounds
Scott was the Magic’s third-ever NBA Draft selection and he teamed up with Anderson — and Shaq, Penny and Horace Grant — to help build what would become an NBA finalist in six seasons. The Magic were quite successful in gauging talent during the early stages of the franchise. Scott played seven seasons in Orlando, averaging no less than 12 points per game during his time in Orlando. He was known for shooting the 3-ball and during his Magic career he fired up 2,342 treys, making 981 for a 40% success rate. His total of successful 3-point field goals still stands as the Magic career mark and likely will not be broken. During the 1995-96 season, Scott fired up 628 3s and made 267 (42%).
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Chris Hays covers the Orlando Magic for the Sentinel. He can be reached at CHays@orlandosentinel.com.
