Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins joined the TNT crew last night to announce the retiring of Shaquille O'Neal's #32 jersey. It will become the first jersey retired in the 35 years of the Orlando Magic franchise. The ceremony will take place following the game between the Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 13 which will be aired on TNT.
The Magic selected Shaq with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He spent four seasons in Orlando spanning from 1992-1996, averaging 27.2 ppg., 12.5 rpg., 2.4 apg., and 2.8 bpg. During that time, Shaq was awarded NBA Rookie of thee Year, selected to four NBA All Star games, All-NBA second team, and All-NBA third team twice.
Despite only playing four seasons in Orlando, Shaq is till top five in numerous categories for the franchise. He recorded 824 blocked shots (2nd), 3,691 rebounds (3rd), 1,602 free throws made (3rd), 3,208 field goals made (4th), and 8,019 points scored (6th).
Even with all of his greatness in the early stages of the franchise's existence, some fans feel O'Neal is unworthy of the honor due to him leaving the Magic in free agency to join the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1996 offseason. Brandon and I gave our thoughts earlier today on 'In The Zone'.
Listen to the full segment with Brandon and I's thoughts in the first podcast linked below -'Orlando Magic to Retire Shaquille O'Neal's Jersey'.
Plus, Brandon was joined by Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins for an exclusive interview. The criteria in making the decision to retire No. 32, insider stories from Shaq's time here in Orlando, and more! Check out that podcast -'Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins Joins the Show!' linked below.