Orlando Magic Mount Rushmore
The franchise’s cornerstone big men take their place alongside other Magic legends
As one of the league’s newer franchises, the Orlando Magic lack the same storied history as some of the NBA’s mainstays. Still, despite their short existence — 28 seasons and counting — they’ve put together enough memorable seasons to be one of the most intriguing franchises throughout the 1990’s and 2000's.
The Orlando Magic’s Mount Rushmore is defined by these eras and the All-Star players who were part of them. Seven players have made the NBA All-Star Game in a Magic uniform: Shaquille O’Neal, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson.
Hill and Lewis are the names on that list that probably don’t stand out as Magic “legends.” Hill earned two All-Star appearances with the team, but he never really had an iconic season in Orlando, and is more well-known among fans for the injury issues that plagued him than the times he actually hit the court.
Lewis played an integral part in the 2009 Finals run, and he deserves to be remembered as the prototype for the stretch-4 movement that would consume the NBA. But, he lacked the longevity to rank among the most iconic players in team history.
A few other non-All-Stars deserve some consideration thanks to their importance to the franchise, as well as a certain ornery coach and one of the men who brought basketball to Orlando. So, let’s lay out the runners-up for mountain-carved immortality.
Honorable Mentions
Nick Anderson
One of the inaugural members of the Magic’s Hall of Fame, their first draft pick and a mainstay of the franchise, Nick Anderson is universally beloved in the Magic community, despite the infamous free throws. His spot in the Magic Hall of Fame is well-deserved, but in the exclusive Club Rushmore, his heights don’t quite reach high enough to stand alongside the four best Magic men.
Pat Williams
Inaugurated into the Magic Hall of Fame at the same time as Anderson, it might be fair to say the Orlando Magic may have never existed without Williams’ contributions (along with fellow Magic HOFer Jimmy Hewitt). Although it’s been quite some time since he’s been a major decision-maker, Williams can be seen at nearly every home game, still rocking his trademark Hawaiian shirts.
Stan Van Gundy
Orlando’s grumpiest coach in franchise history is also, undoubtedly, its best coach. SVG built the 1-in-4-out offense around Dwight Howard that took the team to its second NBA Finals. Van Gundy’s quest to dominate the paint and 3-point line while relying on multi-talented, versatile forwards would foreshadow modern NBA offenses.
Jameer Nelson
I was very, very tempted to put Nelson’s face on the metaphorical mountain, but that’s probably just my modern bias seeping in. It’s tempting to think he rode Dwight’s coattails to an All-Star bid in 2009, but Nelson was fully deserving of the honors. Combine that with his longevity (second all-time in Magic games played and first in assists), and his contributions to arguably the best couple seasons in franchise history, and Nelson has to be considered an iconic part of Orlando Magic history.
Still, it’s not quite enough to make the cut into Magic Mount Rushmore, not compared to the four best players in franchise history whose visages will be hypothetically etched in stone.
Orlando Magic Mount Rushmore
Shaquille O’Neal
The Big Aristotle didn’t leave Orlando on good terms, but for the most part, all has been forgiven on both sides of the contentious split. The Hall-of-Famer — both in the NBA and the Magic’s personal version — had his best and most successful years elsewhere, but he was drafted by the Magic and is arguably the best player to ever suit up in Magic pinstripes.
Drafted first overall, Shaq immediately made a splash in the NBA, averaging 23 and 14, playing and starting 81 games and leading Orlando to its first winning season in franchise history. His four seasons with the team will be remembered as some of the best the team has ever had, a potential dynasty in the making that would never come to fruition.
O’Neal’s trademark dominance around the basket was showcased from day 1: the vicious dunks, famously taking down the hoop, but also a surprising amount of skill for one of the most physically imposing players the NBA has ever seen. Just four years with the Magic is enough for him to make their Mount Rushmore.
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway
Like his center counterpart from those glorious 90s days, Penny will be remembered for his outstanding highs and the success his teams had, but also for his tragically short time with the team. It was injuries that derailed his career.
A consistent theme among the players featured here is “pedigree”: Shaq and Dwight were drafted with number one picks, and Penny was traded for one. At the time, with Chris Webber up for the taking, fans were famously unhappy when the Magic opted to trade down and get Penny instead. Few today would argue it was a mistake.
Heralded as the next Magic Johnson, Penny was as long as a shooting guard or small forward with all the skills of a point guard. His ability to handle the ball with that kind of size provided a tremendous advantage on the perimeter. In tandem with Shaq’s interior dominance, the Magic were a force to be reckoned with.
Tracy McGrady
The most talented scorer in Orlando Magic history is certainly deserving of a spot on the mountain. The complicated part of his legacy lies with the team’s relative lack of success during the early aughts, when they hovered around .500 before plummeting in his fourth season with the team.
Regardless, T-Mac may have achieved the highest level of individual play of any Magic player, even higher than the likes of Shaq. His peak seasons are among the most statistically prolific the league has ever seen, rivaling similarly ridiculous seasons by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In 2002–2003, he averaged over 32 points per game, a team record unlikely to fall for many, many years.
Among the four Rushmore finalists, McGrady was the closest to missing the list because of his lack of playoff success. But, his individual greatness is too much to ignore. As one of the Magic’s few current NBA Hall-of-Famers, he deserves to be listed among the greatest to ever play for this team.
Dwight Howard
D12 formed an era all of his own, on the way to the Magic’s second Finals appearance in 2009. He turned out to be among the last of his kind: big men who dominated exclusively in the paint. With the advent of players like Karl Anthony-Towns and Kristaps Porzingis, teams are rarely seen running their offenses through a center in the post. But, the Magic were able to make it work, thanks to Howard’s unstoppable paint presence and an excellent supporting cast.
More than the offense, though, Howard will be remembered as the best defender in Magic history, earning back-to-back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was actually fairly short for a center, coming in at 6-foot-10, 6-foot-11 at most, but his broad shoulders and incredible athleticism more than made up for it.
Howard’s exit, like Shaq’s, was rather painful, and there are some fans who haven’t forgiven him for the rocky end to his Magic tenure. Time heals all wounds, though, and even the bitterest fans have to acknowledge Dwight Howard among the Magic’s all-time greats.
