Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 jersey first to be retired by Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. — Shaquille O’Neal was Orlando’s first in plenty of methods. First No. 1 total draft decide. First participant to make an All-Star group in a Magic uniform. First rookie of the 12 months. First All-NBA choice. And the primary big-time celebrity to go away the franchise.

It is that final half that he figured may cost a little him.

O’Neal by no means thought that the Magic would elevate his jersey to the rafters of their enviornment. However he was incorrect, and Tuesday night time, Orlando retired O’Neal’s No. 32 — one other first for the group and its first star. Most followers stayed for the postgame ceremony, even after the Magic fell to Oklahoma Metropolis 127-113.

“You understand, there’s an previous saying: Always remember the place you come from,” O’Neal mentioned. “And my skilled profession began right here. I have been residing right here principally all my life. The followers have been hospitable. The folks have been very, very hospitable. I by no means thought this present day would occur.”

Paolo Banchero, who led the Magic on Tuesday with 23 factors and 10 assists, mentioned he loved a playoff-type ambiance — noticing additional power within the constructing due to the celebration for O’Neal that was taking place postgame.

“The protection chants and all that, it was nice to simply be in that surroundings,” Banchero mentioned. “Nice job by the followers for placing that surroundings collectively for us. We could not provide you with a win however simply as a company, as a group, we might love for that to simply turn out to be the brand new norm round right here.”

The Magic, who’re celebrating their thirty fifth season, drafted O’Neal No. 1 total in 1992. They’ve by no means retired a quantity for a participant, however determined their anniversary season was the proper time. A lot of O’Neal’s former Orlando teammates have been there Tuesday night time, together with Penny Hardaway, Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson. O’Neal introduced Anderson to the lectern at one level within the ceremony, telling him he ought to have been the primary to get the jersey retirement from the Magic.

“There isn’t any yet another deserving to be the primary than Shaq,” Magic CEO Alex Martins mentioned. “Shaq put the Orlando Magic on the map. And the inspiration of his Corridor of Fame profession began proper right here in Orlando.”

O’Neal — who has No. 34 retired by the Los Angeles Lakers and No. 32 retired by the Miami Warmth — is the third participant to have his jersey retired by three franchises, becoming a member of Wilt Chamberlain and Pete Maravich.

Chamberlain’s No. 13 has been retired by the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and the Lakers. Maravich had No. 44 retired by the Atlanta Hawks and No. 7 retired by the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans — despite the fact that he by no means performed for that franchise. His quantity is retired in New Orleans as a result of he performed there for the Jazz and went to LSU.

“It implies that each franchise you performed for, they loved you,” O’Neal mentioned. “The followers loved you. The folks loved you. They appreciated your exhausting work.”

There are 11 gamers — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Clyde Drexler, Julius Erving, Elvin Hayes, Bob Lanier, Moses Malone, Earl Monroe, Dikembe Mutombo, Oscar Robertson, Nate Thurmond and Charles Barkley — to have jerseys retired by two franchises for whom they performed. Barkley, like O’Neal, is a part of the award-winning forged of Turner Sports activities’ “Inside The NBA” program.

Many different gamers have been honored by a number of groups or in a number of methods. Invoice Russell’s No. 6 is retired by Boston and, after the Corridor of Famer’s loss of life, was retired leaguewide by commissioner Adam Silver. Michael Jordan by no means performed in Miami; his No. 23 is retired there. Kobe Bryant had each of his numbers, 8 and 24, retired by the Lakers.

The Magic have been 70-176 of their first three seasons, then received O’Neal and went 41-41 in his rookie 12 months, 50-32 with the group’s first playoff look in his second season, 57-25 with a visit to the NBA Finals in 1994-95 and eventually 60-22 — nonetheless the franchise document for wins — in his fourth and last season with Orlando.

The ceremony had O’Neal seated adjoining to middle courtroom on a throne, one sufficiently big to make the 7-footer appear small. The tales flowed — the one about O’Neal arriving within the metropolis identified for Walt Disney World sporting Mickey Mouse ears appeared to please the group — and O’Neal savored all of them.

The banner was hoisted amid a show of fireworks in a darkened enviornment, roughly an hour after the sport ended.

“There isn’t any different place I might have wished to begin my profession,” mentioned O’Neal, whose phrases have been typically drowned out by cheers. “Orlando will at all times have a particular place in my coronary heart.”

“You understand, there’s an previous saying: Always remember the place you come from. And my skilled profession began right here. I have been residing right here principally all my life. The followers have been hospitable. The folks have been very, very hospitable. I by no means thought this present day would occur.”

Shaquille O’Neal

O’Neal realized tips on how to be a professional in Orlando. His first few months within the metropolis, he mentioned, have been spent residing in an airport resort along with his total household. By the point Scott defined to him that he wanted to purchase a home, O’Neal mentioned he had run up a $900,000 resort invoice.

He speaks with reverence about his time in Orlando, and now having gone by 4 jersey retirements — LSU additionally gave him the respect, together with the three NBA golf equipment — O’Neal made no secret of what this one meant.

“In truth talking, this may in all probability be probably the most spectacular one,” O’Neal mentioned.

O’Neal left Orlando after the 1995-96 season for the Lakers, having performed 295 regular-season video games with the Magic. However he stays sixth on the group’s all-time scoring record — 4 of the 5 gamers forward of him performed not less than twice as many video games for Orlando — and third all-time in rebounds for the Magic.

“That is the place it began,” O’Neal mentioned.

And it is the place his quantity will sway.

The Related Press contributed to this report.