Shaquille O'Neal pictured on February 13, 2023. /CFP
The Orlando Magic will retire the No. 32 jersey of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal after the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on February 13, the team announced on Thursday. It will be the first jersey number to be retired by the team.
"When someone asks who was the first player to officially put the Orlando Magic on the map, the answer is simple – Shaquille O'Neal," the Magic's CEO, Alex Martins, said. "He took this franchise to new heights, both on and off the court, and his legacy is still felt within our organization today. On behalf of the DeVos family, we are excited to honor Shaquille by raising No. 32 into the rafters of the Kia Center, where it will remain forever."
O'Neal, as one of the most offensively dominant centers in league history, played 19 seasons for six teams. His glorious career of winning one NBA Most Valuable Player (NBA), four NBA championships and three NBA Finals MVPs began in Orlando when he was drafted by the team with the first pick in 1992.
Shaquille O'Neal of Louisiana State University is drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first pick at the NBA Draft at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon, June 24, 1992. /CFP
Having played four seasons with the Magic, O'Neal averaged 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game and took the team to one of their only two NBA Finals in 1995 as the scoring champion of that season.
The Magic will be the third team to retire O'Neal's number, after the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 34) and the Miami Heat (No. 32). Their relationship hasn't been perfect for good reasons. First, O'Neal won his four titles with the Lakers (three in a row) and the Heat (one). Second, before O'Neal left the Magic to join the Lakers in summer 1996, the way the Magic negotiated his extension was considered disrespectful.
In that summer, there was no maximum salary or luxury tax penalty to tie the Magic's hands from paying O'Neal a satisfactory number to keep him. The Miami Heat signed Alonzo Mourning on a seven-year, $105 million deal and nearly landed Juwan Howard with the same number. Michael Jordan inked a one-year, $30.4 million contract with the Chicago Bulls.
Shaquille O'Neal (#32) of the Orlando Magic dunks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets at the Summit in Houston, Texas, June 14, 1995. /CFP
By contrast, the Magic first offered O'Neal a four-year, $54 million deal and then even posted a poll on the Orlando Sentinel: Is Shaquille O'Neal worth $150 million? O'Neal asked for $115 million before the team counteroffered $80 million. The team even defended their offer by telling O'Neal that they "don't want to upset Penny (Hardaway)," that they couldn't pay him more than Penny.
O'Neal then accepted the seven-year, $120 million deal offered by the Lakers, joined the purple and gold and won three straight titles with Kobe Bryant between 2000 and 2002. By contrast, the Magic only made the NBA Finals once after that and won no title.
"It was a great four years there," O'Neal said. "I just wanted to come in and just make a name for myself," he added. "I'd like to thank the city of Orlando, like to thank the Orlando Magic organization. Appreciate you very much."