Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal is about to change into the primary (*32*) Magic participant in NBA historical past to have their jersey retired by the franchise.
The information was introduced reside on Inside the NBA and the published crew stunned O’Neal with a video name from Magic CEO Alex Martins.
“When someone asks who was the first player to officially put the Orlando Magic on the map, the answer is simple — Shaquille O’Neal,” Martins mentioned. “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 No. 32 into the rafters of the Kia Center, where it will remain forever.”
Shaq was drafted out of LSU by the Magic as the primary total choose within the 1992 Draft.
In 4 seasons with (*32*), the large man earned Rookie of the Year honors (1993) and led the Magic to the franchise’s first playoff look (1994) and first NBA Finals look (1995).
“I would like to thank the DeVos family,” O’Neal said on the broadcast. “It was a great four years there. I just wanted to come in and make a name for myself.”
O’Neal turns into simply the second participant in NBA historical past to have his jersey retired by three completely different franchises because the Lakers retired his No. 34 jersey in April 2013, and the Miami Heat retired his No. 32 jersey in December 2016.
Wilt Chamberlain was the one different participant to have three jerseys retired by three completely different organisations (Warriors, 76ers and Heat).
“You are one of the few men that we’ve ever seen in sports play a game and love the game the right way, create your own path and do it your way,” mentioned Dennis Scott, O’Neal’s Magic teammate from 1992-96. “Now your number is retired in three different arenas. That’s something special.”
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