Orlando Magic retired NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal’s number 32 jersey in a first for the franchise in a ceremony on Tuesday night at the Kia Center in Orlando.
O’Neal was Orlando’s No. 1 overall draft pick in 1992 and was the first superstar to set foot in Orlando. He led the team to its first NBA Finals appearance and his five seasons with the Magic included plenty of highlight-reel plays and multiple All-Star appearances.
O’Neal becomes the fourth NBA player to have his jersey retired by three different franchises. Other names on the list include all-time greats Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Pete Maravich. Shaq has his jersey retired by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat after he led them to championships.
Shaquille O’Neal also shared his excitement for the ceremony.
Shaquille O’Neal honored to Orlando Magic’s first yet again
“Out of all the ceremonies, this is the most exciting,” O’Neal said. “At LSU, I knew it was going to happen. The Lakers, I kind of forced it to happen. Now, in Orlando, I never thought this day would happen. To be the first is definitely an honor.”
“You know, there’s an old saying: Never forget where you come from,” O’Neal added. “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.”
The Magic, who are celebrating their 35th season, drafted O’Neal No. 1 overall in 1992. They’ve never retired a number for a player but decided their anniversary season was the right time.
Sherjeel Malik is the editor at FanHaat with a writing experience in multiple sports. He oversees the editorial and content coverage at FanHaat and writes often around combat sports, football and other marquee sports. A professional highlight of his career was when WWE’s Paul Heyman shared one of his articles on his social media.
Apart from writing, editing and watching sports, he likes to indulge in reading fiction, watching war documentaries and is a fan of Liverpool FC
