Orlando Magic Top 25: The Nos. 1-5 best players in Orlando Magic history
The Orlando Magic have had a celebrated history with fantastic players. The Orlando Magic Daily staff got together to vote the top 25. Here is our top five.
The Orlando Magic‘s 27-year history has been full of many, many highs. Some of the best players the league has seen at various times have worn a Magic uniform.
It has not delivered a championship yet, but the Magic have a history they can be proud of. The team has reached the Playoffs 14 times in its history with a gap no longer than four years. The franchise has had 22 All-Star selections in its short history.
The Magic are entering a season that has a lot riding on it. They are hungering to return to the Playoffs. And there is a lot of uncertainty about the roster.
The Magic’s history though is still one to celebrate. There are some truly great players that have walked through the hallways of the old Orlando Arena and the new Amway Center wearing Magic jerseys.
Magic history is full of some truly great players. And some memorable role players. Magic fans have a good selection of players to pick from when looking back at history.
The Orlando Magic have recently finished their offseason fan poll to name the top 25 players in franchise history. They selected 25 players and had fans vote for one, the winner would advance to the next vote.
Shaquille O’Neal won the day, coming in at No. 1 with Anfernee Hardaway at No. 2 and Dwight Howard at No. 3.
That's it fans! YOU voted and here is our No.1 player in the Magic History! ???????? pic.twitter.com/3VcTrpTP2D
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) August 25, 2016
As you can see in the video from FanSided above, they picked a different trio. There seems to be a bunch of different ways to go — so long as the top four are set as Howard, O’Neal, Hardaway and Tracy McGrady.
The list though was a little bit unsatisfactory. Vince Carter cracked the top 10, beating Dennis Scott, Scott Skiles and Darrell Armstrong among his six straight wins, before the team stopped him from advancing any further.
It was certainly part of the risk of having a fan vote.
It inspired us at Orlando Magic Daily to come up with our own list. Orlando Magic Daily contributors Philip Rossman-Reich, Zach Palmer, David Iwanowski, Ryan Doyle, Carson Ingle, Dar-Wei Chen, Vincent McMillan and Spencer Henderson submitted their list of the top-25 players of all time. We put our lists together and came up with this ranking of the top 25 players in Magic history.
This is part five with our top five player of our Top 25 list. You can read part one of our list with Nos. 21-25, part two of our list with Nos. 16-20, part three of our list with Nos. 11-15 and part four of our list with Nos. 6-10.
January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; Orlando Magic small forward Hedo Turkoglu (15) drives to the basket against the New York Knicks during the second half at Amway Center. New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 114-106. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
5. Hedo Turkoglu (2005-09, 2011-13)
High/Low: 6/11
By Dar-Wei Chen
The first four players on any “best players” list for the Orlando Magic is likely going to be — spoiler alert — some arrangement of Dwight Howard, Shaquille O’Neal, Anfernee Hardaway and Tracy McGrady. Everyone knows that much. After that superstar tier (what might be called the Magic “Mount Rushmore”), there are still quite a few players who were instrumental in propelling the Magic to great heights.
Perhaps no complementary Magic star did that as well as Hedo Turkoglu. That is why he checks in at No. 5, leading all of the “non-Rushmore” players.
Turkoglu did not necessarily arrive in Orlando (at the start of the 2005 season) with expectations of stardom. But, in the course of his Magic career, he gradually improved into a player who was worthy of All-Star consideration.
His calling card was his versatility: The Magic often deployed him as a “point forward” who could handle, pass and shoot the ball tremendously for someone his size.
In his prime seasons with the Magic, he was also a decent defender who could take on tough wing matchups when Mickael Pietrus took a breather.
During the Magic’s run to the 2009 NBA Finals, Turkoglu not only proved himself to be a versatile matchup nightmare for opponents, he emerged as the Magic’s go-to guy in crunch time.
Late in games, the Magic often ran simple Turkoglu-Howard high screen-and-roll plays, which were very difficult to cover given the Magic’s shooting prowess on the perimeter and Turkoglu’s vision and passing ability to find the right shooter if help defense did converge on him or Howard.
What people will probably remember most about Turkoglu is his propensity for game-changing plays (check out this good compilation here):
Although his second stint in Orlando (after Toronto and Phoenix) was not as good as the first, it does not dampen many of the fond memories Magic fans have of Turkoglu.
He was not a superstar like the top four players on this list, but he played like one often enough in big moments to earn a spot right after them.
4. Tracy McGrady (2001-04)
High/Low: 2/4
By Spencer Henderson
Tracy McGrady is ranked so high because he was the only Magic player to average 32.1 points per game in a season.
Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway are considered the organization’s foundational players. But neither averaged that much or had that kind of scoring prowess. Hardaway never won a scoring title during his career. O’Neal won two scoring titles, once with the Orlando Magic (1995) and once with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000). But never scoring that much.
Think about this for a minute. McGrady led the NBA in scoring in back-to-back years in 2003 and 2004. No other player in Orlando Magic history has led the league in scoring back-to-back years.
That is something Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have yet to accomplish. The only players other than McGrady who have defended their scoring titles in the modern NBA were Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. Some elite company.
During the 2003 season, McGrady’s stat line was 32.1 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, 5.5 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game. O’Neal is the only player who would come close to a stat line like McGrady’s. During O’Neal’s sophomore season, he averaged 29.3 points per game, 13.2 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocks per game.
The reason for the different levels of success between the two stars while wearing a Magic jersey was the availability of the the other star player on the roster.
The Magic tried to put legitimate NBA stars around McGrady, but failed to finish the deal to acquire Tim Duncan from the San Antonio Spurs. And Grant Hill could not stay healthy long enough to make a playoff push.
McGrady’s career would have been completely different alongside a healthy Grant Hill and Tim Duncan.
Although McGrady never made a deep push in postseason play like O’Neal, he is clearly the best all-around scorer in Orlando Magic history.
3. Anfernee Hardaway (1994-99)
High/Low: 3/4
By Philip Rossman-Reich
There is nothing quite as exciting as a player who defies all explanation, doing things no one had seen before. Shaquille O’Neal was all brute power and strength. He was the bruising center every team needed, mixed with a dash of athleticism.
Anfernee Hardaway? He was Magic Johnson with speed and flair. He was a shooting guard with incredible vision to pass the ball and run a team. He was unbridled joy and athleticism on the floor — a mix of grace and power in a package that was incredibly special.
It is hard to describe accurately what watching Hardaway for the first time was like. He was the perfect complement to O’Neal in every year. A sudden burst of energy and a quiet confidence and fire to add to the roster.
Hardaway had all the speed to get to the basket whenever he wanted. He had all the tools to be one of the best players of all time. He was every bit the star O’Neal was and as important as any player.
There may not have been a more popular star in Magic history. He was just sublime to watch play.
Injuries, as they so often have in Magic history, robbed him of the rest of his career. An ankle injury and a knee injury slowed him down. The power and speed were gone. The grace and beauty were only seen in flashes after that.
And things began to turn on Hardaway. His frustrations boiled over as fans waited for him to return to health. It never truly happened. And like the Magic’s brief flirtation with contention, Hardaway’s star dimmed eventually too.
There is still no denying the endless possibility of those good times. At his best, Hardaway was truly transformative. He willed the Magic to two Playoff wins at home against the Miami Heat in 1997 with back-to-back 40-point games.
He transformed what it could mean to be a point guard in many ways. And is clearly one of the best players ever to wear a Magic uniform, if not a representation for all the franchise could be.
2. Shaquille O’Neal (1993-96)
High/Low: 1/3
By Philip Rossman-Reich
If one player deserves credit for making the Orlando Magic feel like a NBA team, it would be Shaquille O’Neal. His size and presence transformed the Magic in every way. The team went from expansion team to championship contender seemingly in an instant as O’Neal took over.
O’Neal’s gravity, both on the floor and off the floor, was impossible to ignore. He brought everyone in and took them along for the ride. There was no stopping Shaquille O’Neal.
From the moment he stepped on the floor he changed the game. He pulled down backboards and scored at an incredible rate. Defenses had to account for him immediately.
O’Neal was not just brute force, as he may have become later on in his career. He was incredibly athletic for a player his size. He would lead fast breaks and nimbly work his way through traffic to rise above the rim and stuff it down on his opponent.
He had so much joy playing and it created a fun team to watch.
O’Neal had the numbers to back that up too. He averaged 27.2 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in his four seasons with the Magic. Those are gaudy. And O’Neal dominated the league for a long time.
Mar 27, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal is introduced as he was inducted into the Magic Hall of Fame during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
He was a different player in Orlando though. He was more innocent and pure. The championship dreams were there and he elevated the Magic there by his mere presence. He was having a lot more fun in his four years with the Magic. It was like college extended as he expanded his brand and established himself.
The wins came. Eventually O’Neal wanted more. The Magic mishandled his free agency completely. O’Neal was not blameless there either. It kept the team from keeping the good times rolling.
But maybe how fast the star shined in Orlando and how quickly it got snuffed out keeps what O’Neal did in Orlando more pure. He was everything a young franchise could want to get a taste of greatness.
It has spent the last two decades looking for more.
Dec 26, 2011; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) attempts to make a play as Houston Rockets forward Jeff Adrien (8) defends during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE
1. Dwight Howard (2005-12)
High/Low: 1/4
By Ryan Doyle
Is it time to get over Dwight Howard’s departure? I will leave that up to you.
Us at Orlando Magic Daily feel his decision to leave must be put aside when evaluating his place among the greatest player sin Magic history — and overwhelmingly we did.
On the court, Howard was special. There is little debate he is the best player to play in an Orlando Magic uniform. His resume is beyond impressive and is up there with the great centers of all time.
Yes, the argument can be made Anfernee Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Tracy McGrady may have had better overall careers. But not with the Magic.
Howard was in Orlando for eight years after the team drafted him with the first overall pin the 2004 NBA Draft. And with him came great success. He was a six-time All Star with the Magic and soon became a household name.
His biggest accomplishment is being the centerpiece of the 2009 Eastern Conference Championship team that made it to the NBA Finals, arguably the best team in Magic history.
It is hard to remember how great Howard was in his prime with the Magic. He was a force on the defensive end as he sent shots flying back into the stands. Just to come down the other end and throw down a thunderous dunk.
Howard’s accomplishments are almost endless. He is the franchise leader in points, minutes, rebounds and blocks. He earned All-NBA First Team honors five times, and earned All-Defensive Team honors four times. He was also named the Defensive Player of the Year three times and led the league in rebounds and blocks on multiple occasions.
It is safe to say that if you can remember the good times with Howard, there is little debate he is the best the Magic have had.
Like our list? Hate our list? We will have a complete recap and comparison to the OrlandoMagic.com list this Labor Day Weekend. Let us know your thoughts on the top 25 in the comments below.
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