1992–93 Orlando Magic Season

The 1992–93 NBA season was the fourth season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association. This season is most memorable as the Magic won the NBA draft lottery, and selected 7' 1" center Shaquille O'Neal out of Louisiana State University with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. Meanwhile, the team 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.

The Magic started to show improvement by winning eight of their first eleven games of the regular season, but then lost six straight afterwards in December, as the team acquired Steve Kerr from the Cleveland Cavaliers. 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 three-point specialist Dennis Scott only played 54 games due to calf and Achilles injuries, and second-year center Brian Williams missed most of the season due to clinical depression, including a suicide attempt, only playing just 21 games. The Magic finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 41–41 record, and lost a tie-breaker for the final NBA playoff spot in the Eastern Conference to the 8th-seeded Indiana Pacers, who finished with the same record.

O'Neal averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, as he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year; he was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, was selected for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was his first ever All-Star appearance, and also finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting. In addition, Nick Anderson averaged 19.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while Scott averaged 15.9 points per game and led the Magic with 108 three-point field goals, 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. Meanwhile, Tom Tolbert averaged 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, Anthony Bowie contributed 8.0 points per game, and Jeff Turner provided with 7.0 points per game.

Following the season, Kerr signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls, while Williams was traded to the Denver Nuggets, head coach Matt Guokas 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 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. 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.
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 Indiana Pacers. 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

Regular season

Awards and honors

* Shaquille O'Neal – NBA Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie 1st Team, All-Star

Transactions

References

*

Orlando Magic on Basketball Reference

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Orlando Magic seasons
1992 in sports in Florida
1993 in sports in Florida