The

1995–96 NBA season The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), though the 50th anniversary was not celebrated until the following season. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Fina ...

was the seventh season for 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. The Magic were coming off their trip to the

1995 NBA Finals The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1994–95 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic against the defen ...

, where they were swept in four straight games by the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. During the off-season, the team signed free agent

Jon Koncak Jon Francis Koncak (born May 17, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. A center from Southern Methodist University (SMU), Koncak was selected with the fifth pick in the 1985 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Koncak spent t ...

. The Magic started the regular season without

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

, who missed the first 22 games due to a preseason thumb injury.

Penny Hardaway Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway (born July 18, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men's team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway played colle ...

stepped up in O'Neal's absence, and was named the Player of the Month for November, as the Magic got off to a 13–2 start to the season, and later on held a 34–14 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded

Jeff Turner Jeffrey Steven Turner (born April 9, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and broadcasting announcer. Turner played ten NBA seasons (1984–1987; 1989–1996), spending time with the New Jersey Nets as well as the Orlando M ...

to the expansion

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. The Grizzlies competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Midwest Division (NBA), Midwest Division of the Western Conference ( ...

in exchange for

Kenny Gattison Kenneth Clay Gattison (born May 23, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player and National Basketball Association (NBA) assistant coach. High school and college Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Gattison grew up playing basket ...

, who never played for the Magic due to arm and neck injuries. The Magic won their second consecutive Atlantic Division title with a franchise-best 60–22 record, and earned the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Hardaway averaged 21.7 points, 7.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and was named to the

All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

, while O'Neal averaged 26.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 54 games, and was named to the

All-NBA Third Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

, and three-point specialist Dennis Scott contributed 17.5 points per game, and led the league with 267 three-point field goals, a single-season record since broken by

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Chef Curry", he is widely regarded as the ...

; Scott also set a then-record of 11 three-point field goals in a 119–104 home win against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

on April 18, 1996. In addition,

Horace Grant Horace Junior Grant Sr. (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for Michael Reinsdorf, the president and chief operating officer of the Chicago Bulls. He played college basketball for th ...

provided the team with 13.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, and was named to the

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

, while Nick Anderson provided with 14.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game along with 168 three-point field goals, and

Brian Shaw Brian or Bryan Shaw may refer to: Sports * Brian Shaw (basketball) (born 1966), American basketball coach and former player * Bryan Shaw (baseball) (born 1987), American baseball player * Brian Shaw (ice hockey, born 1962), Canadian ice hockey pl ...

contributed 6.6 points and 4.5 assists per game off the bench. Hardaway and O'Neal were both selected for the

1996 NBA All-Star Game The 1996 NBA All-Star Game was the 46th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, an exhibition basketball game played on February 11, 1996. The event was held at the Alamodome in San Antonio and was a part of the 50th season of the NBA. The game was ...

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. Hardaway also finished in third place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (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 particular competition, or ...

voting, while O'Neal finished tied in ninth place; Grant finished tied in eighth place in

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

voting, and Scott finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting. This was also the only season of O'Neal's NBA career, where he hit his only career three-pointer in a 121–91 home win against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

on February 16, 1996. In the

1996 NBA playoffs The 1996 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995–96 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle Supe ...

, the Magic would sweep the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in three straight games in the Eastern Conference First Round. In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, they defeated the 6th-seeded

Hawks Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and othe ...

in five games, despite losing Game 4 to the Hawks at the

Omni Coliseum Omni Coliseum (often called The Omni) was an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for ice hockey, hockey. It was part of the Omni Complex, now known as the CNN Cente ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 104–99, after taking a 3–0 series lead. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic faced off against the dominant

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

, who finished with a then all-time best record of 72–10; the Magic had eliminated the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals in the previous year's playoffs. However, Grant went down with an elbow injury in Game 1, which the Magic lost on the road, 121–83, and he was out for the rest of the series. The Magic suffered another painful blow when Anderson went down with a wrist injury in a 86–67 home loss in Game 3, and he was also out for the rest of the series. The Bulls would be too strong as they swept the Magic in four straight games. Thereby, the Magic became the first team to be eliminated from the

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

in a sweep for three consecutive seasons since the 1950 Chicago Stags. The Bulls would defeat the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

in six games in the

1996 NBA Finals The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern ...

, winning their fourth NBA championship in six years. Following the season, the All-Star center O'Neal left the team, signing as a free agent with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

after four seasons in Orlando, and Gattison and

Anthony Bowie Anthony Lee Bowie (born November 9, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a former NBA shooting guard, most renowned for his stint with the Orlando Magic. With the Magic, Bowie became one of the top bench players, oft ...

were both released to free agency.

Draft picks

Roster

Roster Notes

* Power forward

was acquired by the Magic from the expansion

in a mid-season trade, but was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

due to arm, and neck injuries he sustained with the Grizzlies, and did not play for the Magic.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

The Magic opened up their playoffs campaign on April 26 against the

, a game they won convincingly 112–92 at home in the

Orlando Arena Amway Arena (originally known as Orlando Arena and later TD Waterhouse Centre) was an indoor arena located in Orlando, Florida. It was part of the Orlando Centroplex, a sports and entertainment complex located in Downtown Orlando. The arena wa ...

. The Magic would also win Game 2 at home before clinching the series, and a sweep, of the Pistons in Game 3 away from home at the

Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

. The second round put the Magic against the

. The Magic opened the series with two convincing wins at home, both with scoring margins greater than 20 points. The Magic carried this momentum into Game 3 away from home at the Omni, winning a closer fought match 102–96. The Hawks won Game 4, avoiding the sweep, but the Magic were too strong and won Game 5 at home to clinch the series 4–1. The Eastern Conference finals saw the Magic face the

and

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

, a team they had eliminated in the previous years playoffs. With Horace Grant out with an elbow injury from Game 1, the dominant Chicago Bulls would prove to be too strong for the Orlando this year, sweeping the series 4-0 and denying the Magic consecutive trips to the NBA finals. , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 26 ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

W 112–92
, Dennis Scott (23) ,

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17,248 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 28 ,

W 92–77
,

(29) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

17,248 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 30 , @

W 101–98
,

(24) ,

(16) ,

(5) ,

The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

20,386 , 3–0 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 8 ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

W 117–105
,

(41) ,

(13) , O'Neal, Hardaway (6) ,

17,248 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 10 ,

W 120–94
,

(28) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

17,248 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 12 , @

W 103–96
,

(24) ,

(12) ,

(6) ,

15,476 , 3–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 13 , @

L 99–104
, Grant, Hardaway (29) ,

(20) ,

(11) ,

12,645 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 15 ,

W 96–88
,

(27) ,

(15) , O'Neal,

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sas ...

(4) ,

17,248 , 4–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 19 , @

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

L 83–121
,

(38) ,

(6) ,

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

24,411 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 21 , @

L 88–93
,

(36) ,

(16) ,

(6) ,

24,395 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 25 ,

L 67–86
,

(18) ,

(12) , Hardaway, O'Neal (3) ,

17,248 , 0–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 27 ,

L 101–106
, Hardaway, O'Neal (28) ,

(9) ,

(8) ,

17,248 , 0–4 , -

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Awards and honors

– All-NBA 3rd team,

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

– All-NBA 1st Team, Player of the Month (November),

– All-Defensive 2nd Team * Nick Anderson – Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award

League records

During the 1995–96 season, Dennis Scott set the record for most three-point field goals scored in a regular season with 267.

Transactions

References

Orlando Magic on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1995-96 Orlando Magic Season Orlando Magic seasons 1995 in sports in Florida 1996 in sports in Florida