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The Orlando Magic is one of those franchises still devoid of an NBA Championship. However, the quality and quantity of talent that has passed via this organisation knows no bounds.
The team has made playoff appearances in 14 of the 28 years of its existence, along with two NBA Finals appearances in 1995 and 2009. It is one of the four expansion teams introduced to the league in 1988 and 1989.
In this piece, we will take a look at some of the best players to don the Magic colors ever since the year 2000, so let's get to it without further ado.
Honorable Mention:
Hedo Turkoglu(2004-2009, 2010-2013)
After being drafted 16th overall, Hedo kept hopping cities until he landed in Orlando in 2004. He had two isolated five-season and three-season stints with the Magic separated by stays in Toronto and Phoenix.
In his breakout season in 2007-08, the Turk averaged a career-high 19.5 points per game playing all 82 games of the regular season. He was named NBA's most improved player the same year and eventually helped the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009.
In a total of eight seasons in Orlando, Hedo averaged over 14 points per game.
#1 Jameer Nelson(2004-2014)
According to The Sportster,
He(Jameer) was named National Freshman of the Year in 2001 and in 2004 he was named consensus All-American, won the Wooden Award, and lead St. Joseph’s to an undefeated regular season record and a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling on a last second shot in the Elite Eight.
Nelson's impact was felt right from his rookie season and he helped his team to the playoffs when he came back the next year. Jameer ended up playing almost his first 10 seasons with the Magic franchise.
Some of his notable achievements while in Orlando were being named an All-Star(when he averaged 16.7 points per game and played just 42 games in the season), playing in the NBA Finals, and becoming the fourth on the all-time franchise scoring list.
#2 Nikola Vucevic(2012-present)
After being traded to the Orlando Magic in 2012, Vucevic has improved with every passing game. This year he has been posting career-high numbers in points(20.6) and rebounds(12.2) and bagged himself the first All-star appearance of his career.
He has worked on his scoring skills over time, enough to be counted amongst one of the elite forwards in the league at the moment. Moreover, he has been averaging a double-double overall during his time with the Magic and still continues to provide his services at his very best.
#3 Grant Hill(2000-2007)
With only two of his seven All-Star appearances coming with the Magic, there was no doubt that Hill was past his prime when he came to Orlando in 2000. After missing the complete 2003-04 season due to an ankle injury, Grant Hill bounced back to average 19.7 ppg and become an All-Star again.
Plagued by injuries throughout his time in Orlando, Hill still managed to average 16 points and 5 rebounds per game along with leading his team to the playoffs in 2007.
#4 Dwight Howard
Dwight played in all 82-games for his first four consecutive seasons, averaging a double-double in the process. He was an All-Star in six of his eight seasons with the Magic before being shipped to the Lakers in 2012.
During his stint in Orlando, Howard was a 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year(2009-2011), a 5-time All-NBA First team member and the dunk contest champion in 2008 as well.
In his memorable eight-season stay with the Magic, Dwight Howard averaged over 18 points, 13 rebounds and almost two blocks per game.
#5 Tracy McGrady(2000-2004)
T-Mac led the Orlando Magic to the playoffs in his very first season there, averaging almost 26 points per game that year. In the following years, he was one of the best players in the NBA at that time.
He averaged a career-high 32.1 points per game in his third season with the Magic. Before heading to Houston in 2004, McGrady had already been named an All-Star in all his four seasons with Orlando. During his golden stint with the Magic, he was also a 2-time All-NBA first team member and won the scoring title twice.
His averages of 28 points along with seven rebounds, and over 5 assists per game when playing in Orlando, show how impactful he was.
