The Reason Why Orlando Magic Didn't Retire Any Number In Their History Except No. 6
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The Orlando Magic have been a team in the NBA since 1989. Their blue and black pinstripe jerseys are often cited as the best-looking jerseys in NBA history, but style points don't win championships.
The Orlando Magic, despite having good teams in the past, have never won an NBA title. They have reached the NBA Finals twice, first in 1995 and then in 2009. Both times, the team was over-matched by their opponents.
Despite never winning the chip, the Magic have bolstered some of the greatest players the game has ever seen. They drafted Shaquille O'Neal, who immediately became an unstoppable force as he won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1993.
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was drafted third overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1993 NBA Draft. He was quickly traded to the Orlando Magic for the number one pick, Chris Webber.
Webber turned out to be a fine player, but he didn't bring the excitement that Hardaway brought. Penny was a big reason why fans in Orlando and on the road came to watch the Magic play. His duo with Shaq was exciting to watch, and the two led the Magic to their first NBA Finals in 1995.
The Magic would be swept by the more experienced Houston Rockets, and despite a bright future, the team broke up after letting Shaq go to Los Angeles and when injuries derailed Hardaway's career.
In 2004, the Magic had another successful draft night by selecting Dwight Howard with the first overall pick. Howard reminded fans of Shaq, as they both went by the nickname Superman, and they were both centers.
Unlike Shaq, Howard wasn't a great scorer. But where he was superior to Shaq was on the defensive end. Howard would win the Defensive Player of the Year Award three straight years from the 2008-09 to 2010-11 seasons.
Howard's play on the defensive end changed games, and it changed the culture in Orlando. In 2009, Howard led the Magic to their second NBA Finals.
The Magic, despite their great play, couldn't overcome a hungry Kobe Bryant, who was determined to win his first title without the help of former Magic Shaquille O'Neal. The Magic lost 4-1 to the Lakers.
The Magic may never have won a championship, but their roster has been filled with stars like the above-mentioned, and they've had others, like Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill.
When you walk into the Amway Center, the home of the Orlando Magic, you'd expect to look up into the rafters and see a handful of retired numbers. Right? The problem is there's only one number retired, and it doesn't belong to any former player.
Orlando Magic Pay Tribute To Their Fanbase
The only number retired in Orlando Magic franchise history is the No. 6. They retired No. 6 in honor of their Sixth Man, which is their fans.
This is a generous gesture to the fans of the Magic, especially since the Magic's attendance ranked 26th last season. So, the question that has to be asked is, why haven't the Magic retired one of their former great player's numbers if they've retired a number in honor of their fans?
In 2014, the Orlando Magic decided to start a Hall of Fame for the franchise, with team founder Pat Williams and the first player drafted by the Magic, Nick Anderson, being the first two selected.
The following year, Shaquille O'Neal was selected to the Magic's Hall of Fame, and Fox Sports Florida play-by-play announcer, David Steele, had this to say about Shaq:
“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. When we traveled, it was like a traveling rock show. Everybody wanted to see Shaq.”
After Shaq's induction, players Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, and Darrell Armstrong joined the Hall of Fame. Also, announcer David Steele, co-founder Jimmy Hewitt, owner Rich DeVos, and as of March 2022, general manager John Gabriel and head coach Brian Hill are in the Magic's Hall of Fame.
So, the Orlando Magic have created their own Hall of Fame for the best players (and personnel) ever to wear a Magic jersey, but still, they refuse to retire a player's number and hang their jersey in the rafters.
The rumor is the Orlando Magic front office doesn't want to retire any player's number until a player leads the franchise to its first championship. As stated earlier, Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, and Dwight Howard all got close by leading the Magic to the NBA Finals.
But reaching an NBA Finals isn't the same as winning the title. This is what the franchise wants, and if Magic fans want to see a number finally get hung in the rafters, they'll have to wait until a special player can lead them to that title.
Maybe the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Paolo Banchero, can lead the Magic to their first title and have his No. 5 be displayed next to the No. 6 that honors the fans and the late great Bill Russell since the NBA has stated the No. 6 will be retired across the league to honor Mr. Russell's legacy.
The future is bright in Orlando, and fans cannot wait to see if Banchero will rise up and be the next star in Orlando Magic history.
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