Shaq Has His Number 32 Retired by the Magic
While Shaquille O’Neal is best known for playing with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Miami Heat, his hall-of-fame career all started when he was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft. Just last night, after being in existence for 35 years, the Magic retired their first jersey to hang up in the rafters. Besides Bill Russell, whose number was retired across all 30 teams, O'Neal joins Wilt Chamberlain, and Pete Maravich as the only NBA players to have their jerseys retired by three different franchises. Personally, I would not be surprised if we see some of Shaq’s old Magic teammates get their number retired shortly. Guys like Penny Hardaway and Nick Anderson were huge factors in getting Orlando to the 1995 NBA Finals.
Shaquille O’Neal played 19 NBA seasons with six different teams. During that time, he made 15 all-star appearances, won the 1993 Rookie of the Year, 2000 NBA MVP, and four NBA championships. Throughout his 19-year career, O’Neal averaged around 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and two blocks a game. Although the Magic have never won an NBA championship, they can thank the Big Aristotle for helping this team make their first Finals appearance in 1995, just a few years into existence. It wouldn’t be until 2009 when they made their second NBA Finals appearance.
O’Neal said this before his big night, "Never forget where you come from. You know, there’s an old saying — never forget where you come from, and my professional career started here. I’ve been living here mostly all my life. The fans have been hospitable. The people have been very, very hospitable. I never thought this day would happen. This will be the most impressive one. LSU, I knew. Lakers, I kind of knew. This one, I didn't know. To start here and to put in the work and to play four years and to be honored this way, this will probably be the most special one. "When he delivered the message on TNT, I wanted to cry."
