Earlier this year, the Orlando Magic finally retired Shaquille O'Neal's number 32. He is the first player to have his number retired by the franchise, which is kinda crazy when you think about it. But if they are going to finally start retiring numbers, nobody better to start with than Shaq.
Shaq was drafted #1 overall by the Magic in the 1992 NBA draft. While he only spent four years with the franchise before leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers, he made his presence felt during his time in Orlando. He averaged 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game, guiding them to the 1995 NBA Finals after finishing second in the MVP voting.
Shaq was an All-Star all four years he spent with the Magic and as a result of his incredible play, he was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. He was a member of the Lakers when the team was announced in October of 1996, but he was yet to play a game for the Lakers as the season hadn't begun. His body of work with the Magic is why he made the team.
Even though he never won an NBA title with the Magic and went on to win his rings elsewhere (three with the Lakers and one with the Heat), Shaq still had a huge impact on the NBA during his time with them. The Orlando Magic version of Shaq is one of the most dominant forces to ever set foot on an NBA floor. He was a game changer and already established himself as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history before he even put on a Lakers jersey. That's amazing.
As for why it took so long for the Magic to retire Shaq's number, a couple of reasons come to mind. First of all, they're just in general hesitant to retire numbers. The fact that he's the first player to have his number retired by the organization speaks to that.
The other thing is Shaq didn't leave the Magic on the best of terms. He kinda bailed on them and went Hollywood by joining the Lakers. That didn't sit well with them and understandably so. It can be hard to want to honor someone who you feel turned their back on you.
Fortunately, time heals all wounds. When you look back Shaq's time with the Magic, it's clear his number should be retired. His four years with them were already hall of fame worthy and from there he just went on to even bigger and better things. The Magic should be proud that Shaq's incredible NBA career started with them and that they can forever claim him in a way that no other NBA franchise can.
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