60 Fun Facts About Orlando Magic

In which year did the Orlando Magic begin play as an NBA expansion team?

They joined a year after Charlotte and Miami, alongside fellow expansion team Minnesota.

Which two NBA Finals did the Magic reach, losing both?

Houston swept them in 1995 and the Lakers won in five in 2009.

Which former 76ers general manager fronted the investment group that brought the NBA to Orlando?

Businessman Jim Hewitt pitched him the idea in Texas in 1985; Williams later became the team's first GM.

Which of these was NOT one of the four finalists in the 1986 name-the-team contest that produced 'Magic'?

'Heat' of course went to Miami; 'Magic' had been submitted by 11 entrants out of 4,296.

The 'Magic' name is a nod to which local institution?

Pat Williams's seven-year-old daughter Karyn helped tip the choice after a visit to Orlando.

Roughly how many million dollars was the expansion fee Orlando reportedly paid to join the NBA?

The Magic became the first major-league franchise in the Orlando area.

Who was the Magic's first head coach?

He ran the 1989 expansion draft and stepped down before the 1993 draft; Brian Hill was promoted to replace him.

Which Illinois guard was the Magic's first-ever draft pick and their leading scorer for a decade?

He later missed four straight free throws late in Game 1 of the 1995 Finals, a moment that haunted the series.

Which Magic point guard set the NBA single-game record with 30 assists against Denver in December 1990?

He broke Kevin Porter's mark of 29 and was named Most Improved Player that season; he later returned as head coach in 2015.

The family that founded which company bought the Magic in 1991 for $85 million?

Patriarch Rich DeVos owned the team until his death in 2018 at age 92.

Whom did the Magic select first overall after winning the 1992 draft lottery?

He was the first rookie voted an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan and improved the team by 20 wins.

The Magic won the 1993 lottery again despite having how many balls in the drum?

They then drafted Chris Webber first overall and flipped him to Golden State for Penny Hardaway and three first-round picks.

Whom did the Magic draft first overall in 1993, then trade for Penny Hardaway that night?

Golden State also sent three future first-round picks to Orlando in the deal.

Which All-Star forward left the Chicago Bulls to sign with the Magic before the 1994–95 season?

Orlando then went 57–25 and beat his old team on the way to the Finals.

Which team swept the Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals?

Hakeem Olajuwon's Rockets were completing back-to-back titles; Orlando reached the Finals in only its sixth season.

How many games did the Magic win in 1995–96, still a franchise record?

They were still only the second seed, behind the 72–10 Bulls who swept them in the East finals.

The Magic's superstar centre left as a free agent in 1996 to join which team?

He won three straight titles there from 2000 to 2002.

Which two-time NBA champion coach with the Pistons was hired by the Magic for the 1997–98 season?

Julius Erving joined the front office at the same time, but Penny Hardaway's injuries wrecked the season.

Which rookie head coach won Coach of the Year for the 1999–2000 'Heart and Hustle' Magic team?

With a roster of virtual unknowns including a young Ben Wallace, the team went 41–41.

Which two star free agents did the Magic land in the summer of 2000 after also chasing Tim Duncan?

Hill's ankle limited him to four games in his first season, while McGrady became a scoring champion.

How many points per game did the Magic's scoring champion average in 2002–03 to lead the NBA?

He led the league again the next year at 28.0 despite the Magic going 21–61.

How many consecutive games did the Magic lose in 2003–04 to set a franchise record?

Doc Rivers was fired in the middle of the streak and the team finished a league-worst 21–61.

Which guard headlined the package the Magic received from Houston for their disgruntled superstar in 2004?

Francis was later suspended three games for kicking a photographer and was traded to the Knicks in 2006.

Which high-school phenom did the Magic take first overall in the 2004 draft?

He became the first rookie to start all 82 games and left in 2012 as the franchise leader in points, rebounds and blocks.

Which 2005 first-round pick stunned the Magic by staying in Spain, reportedly at his girlfriend's urging?

Taken 11th overall, he never played an NBA game.

Which college coach signed a five-year Magic deal in June 2007, then asked out the very next day?

The Magic let him return to Florida and hired Stan Van Gundy a few days later.

Which forward did the Magic sign from Seattle in 2007 to a six-year maximum deal worth over $110 million?

He later served a 10-game suspension for an elevated testosterone level from an over-the-counter supplement.

Which Magic assistant coach guaranteed a Game 7 win over the champion Celtics in the 2009 East semifinals?

Orlando won the game and went on to beat LeBron James's Cavaliers to reach the Finals.

Which team did the Magic beat in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals to reach the NBA Finals?

Cleveland was led by that season's MVP, LeBron James; Orlando then lost the Finals in five to the Lakers.

Which eight-time All-Star did the Magic acquire from New Jersey in the 2009 off-season?

He was shipped to Phoenix in the December 2010 trade that brought Hedo Türkoğlu back to Orlando.

Which nickname was given to the 2011–12 saga surrounding the Magic centre's trade demands?

He requested a trade, rescinded it, asked for the coach to be replaced, then had back surgery, all in one lockout-shortened season.

The Magic's franchise centre was finally traded in August 2012 to which team as part of a four-team deal?

Orlando's haul included Nikola Vučević, Arron Afflalo and Maurice Harkless plus a pile of picks.

What was Stan Van Gundy's regular-season record in five seasons as Magic head coach?

He made the playoffs every year and won the 2009 East title before parting ways with the team in May 2012.

Which Indiana guard did the Magic draft second overall in 2013?

He was later traded with Domantas Sabonis to Oklahoma City for Serge Ibaka in 2016.

Which centre from the 2012 four-team blockbuster set the Magic single-game record with 29 rebounds?

He was Orlando's first All-Star after Howard, in 2019, and was traded to Chicago in 2021 for the pick that became Franz Wagner.

Which former Magic superstar rejoined the franchise in 2017 as assistant to the CEO?

He had left in a bitter 2004 trade after admitting he did not give full effort in his final season.

Whom did the Magic select first overall in the 2022 draft?

He averaged 20 points a game as a rookie, won Rookie of the Year and lifted the team from 22 wins to 34.

Which coach, hired in 2021 from the Mavericks' staff, led the Magic back to the playoffs in 2024?

His 47–35 team took Cleveland to seven games in the first round.

Which German forward did the Magic select eighth overall in 2021 with a pick acquired from Chicago?

Both he and Banchero suffered torn right obliques within weeks of each other in the 2024–25 season.

What name did the Magic's home arena, opened in 2010, take in December 2023?

It opened as Amway Center and was renamed in December 2023.

What was the affectionate nickname of the Magic's original 1989 arena?

It later became the TD Waterhouse Centre and then Amway Arena before the team moved across the street in 2010.

The Magic hosted the NBA All-Star Game in which year?

Dwight Howard's trade saga was in full swing when the game came to the new Amway Center.

Why were the Magic's original uniforms made of durene rather than the league's usual material?

The electric blue itself was specially made for the team by MacGregor.

The Magic's first GM suggested black and gold, the colours of which alma mater?

The idea was dropped partly because local college UCF already used the scheme.

In the Magic's original wordmark, a star replaced which letter?

The 2025–26 rebrand brought the silver star back as a substitute for that letter.

Which fashion designer created the Magic's 1998 'sublimated stars' uniforms?

The jerseys used the same dazzle fabric as WNBA uniforms and put pinstripes on the sides.

The colour of the Magic's 2019–22 'City' uniforms paid homage to which Florida industry?

The 2020–21 version inverted to the exact colour scheme of the original 1989 uniforms.

What is the name of the Magic's dragon mascot?

The name puns on 'Puff the Magic Dragon' and on 'stuffing' as a term for dunking.

What is the Magic's franchise record for points in a single game, set against Washington in March 2004?

He did it against Washington on March 10, 2004, in the middle of a 21–61 season.

In a 2012 game against Golden State, a Magic centre set an NBA record by attempting how many free throws?

He made 21 of them, also a franchise record, as the Warriors deliberately fouled him.

What name is given to the Magic's Florida feud with the Miami Heat?

The teams' only playoff meeting came in 1997, when Miami won 3–2 despite Penny Hardaway's back-to-back 40-point games.

The Magic donated $50,000 in 2023 to a super PAC supporting which politician's presidential campaign?

The New York Times called it the first known direct donation by an NBA team to a group allied with a presidential candidate.

Which company became the Magic's first jersey-patch sponsor in 2017?

The deal, announced in 2017, paired the team with the sponsor whose Magic Kingdom inspired its name.

Which Magic guard, 'Penny', battled back from 0-2 against Miami in 1997 with consecutive 40-point games?

He was the first player to do so; Orlando still lost Game 5.

Which Michigan player did the Magic take 32nd overall in 2022, the same draft as Paolo Banchero?

Banchero lifted the team from 22 wins to 34 and was named Rookie of the Year.

Which health system sponsors the Magic's practice facility unveiled in August 2022?

The team has played at the Kia Center since 2010.

Who was promoted to general manager of the Magic in July 2023?

Jeff Weltman moved up to President of Basketball Operations the same day.

What record did the Magic post in 2023-24, earning the East's fifth seed?

They pushed Donovan Mitchell's Cavaliers to seven games before losing in the first round.

Which injury sidelined both Banchero and Franz Wagner during the 2024-25 season?

Banchero returned after more than two months with 34 points in a loss to the Bucks.

Which Magic player from the inaugural 1989 season to 1996 later became a TV color analyst?

Nick Anderson has hosted the pre-game and post-game shows alongside former coach Brian Hill.