The

1992–93 NBA season Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...

was the Magic's fourth season in the National Basketball Association. This season held a lot of promise as LSU center

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

was drafted first overall by the Magic in the

1992 NBA draft The 1992 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1992, at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The draft is considered to be one of the deepest in NBA history. The top three picks (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner) were considere ...

. Meanwhile, the Magic signed free agent Donald Royal during the off-season. There were predictions that O'Neal would become the next dominant center in the NBA. Shaq became an instant superstar with merchandising that rivaled only

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

. The Magic started to show improvement winning eight of their first eleven games, but then lost six straight afterwards in December, as the team acquired

Steve Kerr Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA champion, havi ...

from the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. The Magic continued to play .500 basketball with a 24–23 record at the All-Star break. However, the team had various problems with injuries as Dennis Scott only played 54 games due to calf and Achilles injuries, and second-year center

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...

missed most of the season due to clinical depression, including a suicide attempt, only playing just 21 games. The Magic finished fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 41–41 record, and lost a tie-breaker for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference to the 8th-seeded

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. O'Neal averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, as he was named Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, was selected for the

1993 NBA All-Star Game The 1993 NBA All-Star Game took place on February 21, 1993, and was an exhibition game played between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, home of the Utah Jazz. This was the 43rd edition Nati ...

, which was his first ever All-Star appearance, and also finished in seventh place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

voting. In addition, Nick Anderson finished second on the team in scoring averaging 19.9 points, and contributed 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while Scott averaged 15.9 points per game, Scott Skiles provided the team with 15.4 points and 9.7 assists per game, and Royal contributed 9.2 points per game off the bench. Following the season, Kerr signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls, while Williams was traded to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, head coach

Matt Guokas Matthew George Guokas Jr. (; born February 25, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. His father, Matt Sr. and uncle, Al, have also played in the NBA. Guokas and his father, Matt Sr., were the first father-son ...

resigned after four seasons coaching the Magic, and Terry Catledge retired.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Shaquille O'Neal was drafted as the 1st overall pick in the

by the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. During that summer, prior to moving to Orlando, he spent a significant amount of time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

. O'Neal had an exceptional rookie season, as he helped the Magic win 20 more games than the previous season, with the team ultimately missing the playoffs by virtue of a tie-breaker with the

. O'Neal averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per game for the season and was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year. O'Neal played in the All-Star game and scored 14 points. On two occasions during that season, each during a nationally televised game, O'Neal dunked the ball so hard that he broke the backboard support units.

Season standings

:y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot :z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Awards and honors

– NBA Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie 1st Team, All-Star

Transactions

References

Orlando Magic on Database Basketball

{{DEFAULTSORT:1992-93 Orlando Magic season Orlando Magic seasons 1992 in sports in Florida 1993 in sports in Florida