ORLANDO MAGIC FRANCHISE FACTS:
Founded: 1989
Location: Orlando, Florida
Stadium: Amway Center
Conference: Eastern Conference
Division: Southeast Division
Mascot: Stiff
Dancers: Magic Dancers
Notable Players: Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Dwight Howard, Shaquille O'Neal
Orlando Magic Championship Titles: 0
Orlando Magic Conference Titles: 1
See Also:
Orlando Magic Playoff tickets
Orlando Magic Season Preview History
ORLANDO MAGIC EXPERIENCE:
The Orlando Magic were one of four expansion teams which joined the NBA for the 1989-90 season along with the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Magic were the first ever professional sports team in the Orlando area, and instantly gave the city recognition in the sports world when they made their arrival. The Magic began slow like many expansion teams, and gradually stacked up wins and built up the roster in the following years. By 1992 the Magic would become a force in the Eastern Conference and jump onto the radar of the professional basketball world.
The Magic scored the first pick in the 1992 NBA draft lottery and landed center Shaquille O'Neal from Louisiana State University, who was touted as the most talented big-man to enter the league since Patrick Ewing. O'Neal made an immediate impact for the Magic, and he provided rebounds, low-post scoring ability and fearsome blocks that few teams could match up with. O'Neal went on to become the 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year.
The following year, the Magic struck gold again by landing the first pick in the lottery and drafting Chris Webber, who they then traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for guard Penny Hardaway and future draft picks. Hardaway and O'Neal formed a dynamic duo that would turn the Magic into a force in the Eastern Conference. They made the playoffs for the first time in the 1993-94 season before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the first round. In the 1994-95 season, the Magic made a trade for All-Star forward Horace Grant from the Chicago Bulls, and went on a magical run that ended in the NBA Finals at the hands of the Houston Rockets.
When O'Neal was traded after the 1995-96 season, the Magic went through a period of high-profile free agent busts and subpar play, and didn't return to relevance until 2004 when the team drafted high school phenom Dwight Howard and acquired draft rights to point guard Jameer Nelson. The acquisition of Howard gave the Magic an immediate boost in the paint and the franchise set about building a team around him.
The Magic returned to the NBA Finals in 2008-09, but fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. With the Magic moving to their new arena, the Amway Center, in 2010, the team has a built a solid foundation for the future.