Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic
history	Orlando Magic since 1989
Stadion	Amway Center
Location	Orlando , Florida
Club colors	Blue, black, silver, white    
league	NBA
Conference	Eastern Conference
division	Southeast Division
Head coach	Steve Clifford
General manager	John Hammond
owner	RDV Sports, Inc.
Farm teams	Lakeland Magic
Championships	no
Conference title	2 (1995, 2009)
Division title	6 (1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2019)
Association Icon Statement

The Orlando Magic are a professional basketball team of the North American National Basketball Association (NBA) based in Orlando , Florida . The owner of the franchise is an operating company founded by Richard DeVos . The team is currently coached by Steve Clifford . The team colors are blue, black, silver and white.

history

The first steps (1989–1992)

The team was founded in 1989. A competition sponsored by staff from Orlando Magic and the local Orlando Sentinel newspaper allowed the community to suggest names for their new franchise. The names “Heat”, “Tropics”, “Juice” and “Magic” made it into the final selection of this competition from a total of 4,296 entries. The franchise's first draft pick was Nick Anderson , who was selected 11th in 1989. Via an expansion draft , the roster was filled with players who were released from the other teams. The first season was correspondingly weak, when the season was only finished with 18 wins. In the subsequent draft, Dennis Scott was selected in 4th place. At the end of the season they improved to 31 wins, also because point guard Scott Skiles improved a lot. He set a record that is still valid today with 30 assists this season and was voted NBA Most Improved Player of the season at the end of the season . The 1991/92 season was marked by many injuries, so the Magic ended the season badly.

Shaquille O'Neal Era (1992-1996)

In the 1992 NBA draft , the Magic received the first right to vote and chose the center Shaquille O'Neal . The arrival of O'Neal immediately made the Magic a playoff candidate and they got 41 wins. O'Neal dominated the league as a rookie and was awarded the NBA All-Star and the Rookie of the Year Award . Despite the low chances of landing the first pick in the 1993 NBA draft , the Magic won the draft lottery again. They picked Chris Webber , but traded him that same day for 3rd place Penny Hardaway and draft picks. Hardaway and O'Neal formed a strong duo that scored 50 wins the following season and made it to the playoffs for the first time. However, they were eliminated in the first round with 3-0 against the Indiana Pacers .

In the summer of 1994, Horace Grant joined the Magic from the Chicago Bulls . With Hardaway, Anderson, Scott, Grant and O'Neal they now had a competitive starting line-up and took first place in the Eastern Conference with 57 wins. After victories over the Boston Celtics , Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers , they met the defending champions, the Houston Rockets , in the final . However, they were defeated 0: 4.

In the 1995/96 season , the Magic took 60 wins, but ended up behind the revitalized Chicago Bulls around Michael Jordan , who won 72 wins. They reached the conference final, where they lost 4-0 to the Bulls.

Penny Hardaway era (1996-2000)

In the summer of 1996, O'Neal left Magic as a free agent and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers . Without O'Neal, the Magic playoffs remained, but not a candidate for the title. They achieved 45 wins and were eliminated in the first round. 1997 Chuck Daly took over the team, Julius Erving was brought into management; the hoped-for success did not materialize, however, also because Hardaway repeatedly had to struggle with injuries. The 1998/99 season , however, went better. Rookie Matt Harpring joined the team and Darrell Armstrong was named NBA Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year of the season. They achieved 33 wins and 17 defeats in the shortened season, but were eliminated in the first playoff round. In the summer of 1999 the Magic Doc Rivers signed as a new coach. Hardaway could no longer build on his previous level of performance after serious injuries and was transferred to the Phoenix Suns . Without big stars you reached 41 wins, but missed the playoffs. Rivers was named Trainer of the Year for his performance .

Engagement of Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill (2000-2004)

The Magic logo from 2000 to 2010

In the summer of 2000 the Magic had sufficient financial leeway to enable significant commitments. Young star Tracy McGrady and all-star Grant Hill signed the Magic. In addition, Mike Miller was selected in the NBA draft in 5th place. With this nucleus one achieved 43 victories. McGrady made the leap to star in Orlando, becoming an All-Star and Most Improved Player of the season for the first time . Miller was named Rookie of the Year . Grant Hill, on the other hand, only played 4 games before he was seriously injured. In the playoffs they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round with 1: 3. The following season was similar; despite a strong McGrady, they could not reach the second playoff round. And the 2002/03 season was not crowned with success either. Despite scoring champion McGrady, they achieved only 42 wins and got a first round out in the playoffs. The 2003/04 season was even more disappointing. After starting the season with a win, they lost 19 games in a row. Although McGrady led the league again in scoring, they achieved a meager 21 wins. Rivers was replaced by Johnny Davis in the middle of the season.

The Arrival of Dwight Howard (2004-2012)

All-Star Dwight Howard (2004-2012)

The weak season resulted in a high draft placement. You won the draft lottery and were allowed to draw first. The choice fell on Dwight Howard , a college straight out of high school . They also got point guard Jameer Nelson in 20th place . Tracy McGrady was handed over to the Houston Rockets . In return, Steve Francis came to Orlando. In addition, the Turkish forward Hedo Türkoğlu was signed via the Free Agency . The season went well for Orlando. Especially Grant Hill was able to play carefree again after years of serious injury and became an All-Star in 2005. They were on the playoff course, but the injuries of Turkoglu and Hill at the end of the season prevented entry. The 2005/06 season was similar to the previous season, with the difference that Howard and Nelson improved steadily. In February 2006, Francis was transferred to the New York Knicks . Hill struggled with injuries again. The playoffs were missed for the third time in a row.

In the 2006 NBA draft , the sniper JJ Redick was ranked 11th. The season went well for Orlando. Howard was called to the All-Star Game for the first time and they reached the playoffs despite only 40 wins. After the season, coach Brian Hil was fired and replaced by Stan Van Gundy . Grant Hill left Magic after seven years and moved to the Phoenix Suns. Orlando strengthened against it with Rashard Lewis , who came from the Seattle SuperSonics . Orlando then took 52 wins in the 2007/08 season and reached the second play-off round for the first time since 1995.

Forward Hedo Türkoğlu played eight seasons for Magic

In the 2008/09 season they won 59 victories. Nelson was invited to the All-Star Game for the first time, alongside Howard. The Magic reached the NBA final for the second time after winning playoffs over the Philadelphia 76ers , Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers . There they met the Los Angeles Lakers , who lost 4-1. In the summer of 2009, Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson joined the New Jersey Nets . Turkoglu, however, moved to the Toronto Raptors . The Magic reached the Conference Finals again, but this time they lost to the Boston Celtics. This was also the last season at the Amway Arena . The home games have been played in the newly built Amway Center since the 2010/11 season .

In the course of the 2010/11 season , the Magic threaded some trades in order to be able to set up a powerful team for the playoffs. Among others, Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson found their way to Orlando. In return, players like Vince Carter , Marcin Gortat (both to the Phoenix Suns ) and Rashard Lewis (to the Washington Wizards ) were given up. Despite 52 wins, the playoffs ended in the first round. They had to admit defeat to the Atlanta Hawks 2-4. Arenas' contract was terminated due to a disappointing performance.

The 2011/12 season was shortened to 66 games due to the lockout . The Magic took 37 wins this season, but were eliminated in the first round against the Indiana Pacers with 1: 4. The main reason for this was the failure of Dwight Howard , who had to sit out with back problems. Shortly after the end of the season, coach Stan Van Gundy was released from his duties.

Rebuilding (since 2013)

The fourth pick of the 2014 NBA draft, Aaron Gordon

Former point guard Jacque Vaughn became the new head coach for the 2012/13 season . Vaughn previously worked for two years as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs . Previously, the Most Improved Player of the 2011/2012 season , Ryan Anderson , was transferred to the New Orleans Hornets . In return, the Magic Forward received Gustavo Ayón . Furthermore, star player Dwight Howard was transferred to the Los Angeles Lakers . In return, Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington , among others, switched to Magic. The season ended as expected in the "basement" of the Eastern Conference, with a record of 20 wins and 62 losses. This made the Magic the worst team in the entire league in 2012/2013. In the subsequent NBA draft, the Magic Guard Victor Oladipo secured second place.

The 2013/14 season ended slightly better with 23 wins and 59 losses. Again they got a high position in the draft. Top scorer Arron Afflalo was transferred to the Denver Nuggets before the draft . In the 2014 draft , forward Aaron Gordon was selected in fourth place, and point guard Elfrid Payton of the Philadelphia 76ers, selected in 10th place, came . In addition, the roster has been expanded to include experienced players such as Channing Frye and Ben Gordon . In terms of sport, however, there was no increase and the Magic could not attack in the direction of playoff spots as hoped in 2014/2015. In February 2015, head coach Jacque Vaughn was released from his duties after the Magic had previously lost 10 games in a row. The season was only slightly improved with 25 wins.

For the new season, Scott Skiles was introduced as the new Magic trainer. In the 2015 NBA draft , the Croatian talent Mario Hezonja was selected in fifth place. Tobias Harris's contract was extended for several years. During the season, however, Harris was transferred to the Detroit Pistons. Thanks to the performance improvements of young players like Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon , the Magic achieved 35 wins of the season at the end, but still missed participation in the playoffs. Coach Skiles was replaced by Frank Vogel in the summer . In the 2016 NBA draft, the Magic transferred Oladipo, Ersan İlyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis to the Oklahoma City Thunder and received Serge Ibaka in return . Furthermore, Jeff Green and Bismack Biyombo were committed with the aim of reaching the playoffs. However, Ibaka was passed on to the Toronto Raptors for Terrence Ross that same season . The Magic played again a weak season and missed the playoffs significantly. In the 2016 NBA draft, Jonathan Isaac was selected in sixth place and well-known veterans such as Marreese Speights and Jonathon Simmons were signed . Veteran Arron Afflalo returned to the Magic that same season. The playoffs were also missed this time, so coach Frank Vogel was sacked.

Vogel's successor was Steve Clifford, a former Magic Assistant who previously worked for the Charlotte Hornets as head coach for several years . The team also secured the services of Center Mohamed Bamba via draft . As the first player since Dwight Howard in 2012, Center Nikola Vučević, another Orlando's player, was invited to the NBA All-Star Game in spring 2019 . In terms of the balance sheet, Magic was able to make the 2018/2019 season more successful again and move into the playoffs for the first time since 2012 with 42 wins and 40 losses. There, however, the team lost to the eventual champions of the Toronto Raptors with 1: 4 in the first round.

Venue

The Amway Center at a Magic home game

The Amway Center has been the home of Orlando Magic since 2010 . The hall has 18,500 spectators at home games and is owned by the city of Orlando. From 1989 to 2010 the Magic played their home games in the Amway Arena , which has since been closed and demolished.

Current squad

Orlando Magic roster (as of April 4, 2020)

player	Coaches
No. Nat. Surname position birth size info college 00 Aaron Gordon Forward 09/16/1995 206 cm Arizona 1 Jonathan Isaac Forward 10/09/1997 208 cm Florida State 2 Al-Farouq Aminu Forward 09/21/1990 206 cm Wake Forest 5 Mohamed Bamba center 05/12/1998 216 cm Texas 7th Michael Carter-Williams Guard 10/10/1991 198 cm Syracuse 9 Nikola Vučević center October 24, 1990 213 cm USC 10 Evan Fournier Guard October 29, 1992 198 cm France 11 James Ennis Guard / Forward 07/01/1990 201 cm Long Beach State 12 Gary Clark Forward 11/16/1994 203 cm Cincinnati 13 BJ Johnson Guard December 21, 1995 201 cm G La Salle 14th DJ Augustin Guard 11/10/1987 183 cm Texas 20th Markelle Fultz Guard 05/29/1998 193 cm Washington 23 Vic Law Forward December 19, 1995 201 cm G / R Northwestern 24 Khem Birch center 09/28/1992 206 cm UNLV 25th Wesley Iwundu center December 20, 1994 201 cm Kansas State 31 Terrence Ross Guard / Forward 02/05/1991 201 cm University of Washington 35 Melvin Frazier Forward 08/30/1996 198 cm Tulane	Nat. Surname position Steve Clifford Head coach Tyrone Corbin Assistant coach Michael Batiste Assistant coach Bruce Kreutzer Assistant coach Pat Delany Assistant coach Steve Hetzel Assistant coach Ernest Eugene Medical trainer
	Legend Abbr. meaning No. Jersey number Nat. nationality C. Team captain R. Rookie G Two-way contract FA Free agent Inactivity due to injury

Honors and achievements worth mentioning

JJ Redick played for Magic for 7 seasons

Glen Davis played in Orlando from 2011 to 2014

Well-known former players

Surname	current club
Nick Anderson	Career ended
Darrell Armstrong	Career ended
Vince Carter	Atlanta Hawks
Patrick Ewing	Career ended
Steve Francis	Career ended
Horace Grant	Career ended
Penny Hardaway	Career ended
Grant Hill	Career ended
Shawn Kemp	Career ended
Tracy McGrady	Career ended
Shaquille O'Neal	Career ended
JJ Redick	New Orleans Pelicans
Dennis Scott	Career ended
Ben Wallace	Career ended
Gilbert Arenas	Career ended
Jason Williams	Career ended
Dwight Howard	Los Angeles Lakers
Glen Davis	Career ended
Hedo Türkoğlu	Career ended
Jameer Nelson	Career ended
Serge Ibaka	Toronto Raptors

statistics

Playing times in the National Basketball Association

year	Victories: defeats	Wins [%]	Playoffs
1989/90	18:64	22.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1990/91	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1991/92	21:61	25.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1992/93	41:41	50.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1993/94	50:32	61.0	0: 3 in the first round against the Indiana Pacers
1994/95	57:25	69.5	0-4 in the NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets
1995/96	60:22	73.2	0-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls
1996/97	45:37	54.9	2: 3 in the first round against the Miami Heat
1997/98	41:41	50.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1998/99	33:17	66.0	1-3 in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers
1999/00	41:41	50.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
2000/01	43:39	52.4	1: 3 in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks
2001/02	44:38	53.7	1: 3 in the first round against the Charlotte Hornets
2002/03	42:40	51.2	3-4 in the first round against the Detroit Pistons
2003/04	21:61	25.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
2004/05	36:46	43.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
2005/06	36:46	43.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
2006/07	40:42	48.8	0-4 in the first round against the Detroit Pistons
2007/08	52:30	63.4	1: 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Detroit Pistons
2008/09	59:23	72.0	1: 4 in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers
2009/10	59:23	72.0	2-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics
2010/11	52:30	63.4	2-4 in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks
2011/12	37:29	56.1	1: 4 in the first round against the Indiana Pacers
2012/13	20:62	24.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
2013/14	23:59	28.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
2014/15	25:57	30.5	Not qualified for the play-offs
2015/16	35:47	42.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
2016/17	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
2017/18	25:57	30.5	Not qualified for the play-offs
2018/19	42:40	51.2	1: 4 in the first round against the Toronto Raptors
2019/20	33:40	45.2
total	1191: 1294	47.9	58:70 in the playoffs (45.3%) Reg Season as of August 2020

Web links

• Official website
• Official squad of the team
• History of the Orlando Magic

Individual evidence

1. ↑ MAGIC: 20 Years Ago Today - The Magic Begins , nba.com/magic, accessed January 6, 2011.
2. ↑ Orlando Magic Dismiss Frank Vogel as Head Coach