When the Orlando Magic were announced as winners of the 1992 NBA Draft lottery, their pick was a foregone conclusion. LSU superstar Shaquille O’Neal was the consensus top pick in the draft class. The two-time SEC Player of the Year and the 1991 AP College Basketball Player of the Year was expected to be a franchise cornerstone. However, Shaq, in the very first meet with his coach and Magic front management, left his future coach Matt Goukas horrified by his actions.
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In his memoir, ‘Shaq Uncut,’ Shaq revealed that the franchise hosted him, his father, Phillip Harrison, and his younger brother Jamal in Orlando two days before the draft.
“The Magic kept pestering us to meet with them, so finally, a couple of days before the draft, my father, my brother, Jamal, and I flew in to Orlando. They gave me a tour, and I met with the team officials, and then they ended up having a nice dinner with the owners, the coaches, and some front-office people.”
While the adults spoke about business and basketball, 13-year-old Jamal was unsurprisingly bored. To pass the time, he started messing around with the future Magic star, who reciprocated. The siblings tossed food at each other, much to the horror of Magic head coach Matt Goukas. O’Neal revealed,
“We’re flicking rolls at each other. My future coach, Matt Goukas, was horrified. To be honest, I was having so much fun with Jamal I didn’t notice. When [team manager] Pat Williams asked Matt Goukas later what he thought of his No. 1 pick and his brother, he said, ‘I wanted to send both of them to their rooms.'”
A glimpse of Shaq’s carefree attitude did not alter the Magic top brass’ opinion of his basketball abilities. They picked him first overall, and he spent four seasons with the franchise. He led them to their maiden playoff appearance in his second season with the franchise before leading them to the NBA Finals in 1995.
After leading them to another Eastern Conference Finals appearance in his final season with the team, O’Neal took his talents West and signed a record-breaking seven-year, $121 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The rest is history.
Shaquille O’Neal caused jitters among Magic fans before the 1992 NBA Draft
Shaquille O’Neal being drafted first overall was a foregone conclusion. Fans in Orlando were excited to welcome the big man to their franchise and alter their trajectory. However, the usually outspoken ‘The Big Aristotle’ was peculiarly quiet about being drafted by the Magic, causing the team’s fans to panic. In ‘Shaq Uncut,’ O’Neal wrote,
“As the actual draft day approached, the people in Orlando were getting nervous because I hadn’t said anything about their team, their city, or their players. It was a big moment for them and my silence was kind of spoiling it, I guess.”
The LSU star wasn’t averse to joining the Magic. In fact, he was looking forward to his name being the first to be taken off the board in the 1992 NBA draft. However, he remained silent about his desire. Explaining why, he wrote,
“Here is the reason I didn’t say much. I’m very superstitious, and I wasn’t going to talk about being the No. 1 pick until I actually was drafted as the No. 1 pick.”
On the day of the draft, things went smoothly. Shaq was picked first overall, much to the delight of the Magic fans. The franchise and the player spent four productive and memorable seasons together before parting ways. Orlando remembers O’Neal’s time with the Magic fondly. To honor his contributions to the franchise, the team announced earlier this month that the Hall of Famer will become the first player to have his jersey retired.
The ceremony will take place on Valentine’s Day Eve. It’s a well-deserved and loving gesture by the Magic for one of the greatest players in NBA history.
