Most franchises in the NBA have one legendary player who is indelibly linked with the team’s legacy. The LA Lakers have Kobe Bryant, the Golden State Warriors have Steph Curry, and the Chicago Bulls have Michael Jordan. However, when it comes to the Orlando Magic, no such player readily comes to mind across the franchise’s history.
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It is largely because of Orlando’s lack of success when it comes to championships. That’s not to say standouts have not been there. For a while in the 1990s, Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway were the team’s go-to guys. But for those born after the 2000s, it’s always been Dwight Howard.
Howard, though, feels like he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for what he did for the team and the city. While talking to Lou Young on his podcast, D12 claimed that his stint in Orlando was the most prominent one in the franchise’s relatively bland history.
Sure, they never won a title, but Dwight and the Magic side of the late 2000s were truly scary. With their three-time DPOY at the helm, the Magic beat LeBron James’ 66-win Cavaliers side in 2009 and secured a Finals berth against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
Yes, they failed to win, but that was the Magic’s most successful season since Shaq and Penny went to the Finals in 1995.
“We put Orlando really on the map! Like Orlando was different! We got a new arena out of that place, so it’s like, come on! The impact that we had on the team, on the city, that’s one thing,” said Howard, before further emphasizing his reach while playing with the Magic.
“I was hanging with Michael Jackson’s kids, they [were] family, they were coming to the games. Everybody was coming to the Magic games,” he added.
It’s clear that no team he’s played for means as much to Howard as the Orlando Magic. After all, that’s where he built his name from the ground up.
Orlando is where Howard blossomed into one of the most feared rim protectors that the NBA has ever seen. So, when he was inducted into the Magic’s Hall of Fame in March, his emotions poured over.
As a high schooler who came straight into the league, Howard was pure raw potential, but he had to be molded into the player he became. He thanked his teammates Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu for their roles in making sure he didn’t fall into bad habits.
Dwight also made sure to thank his first two coaches with the Magic — Johnny Davis and Brian Hill — for their role in making sure he fulfilled his potential.
