The Orlando Magic won the draft lottery in 1992 and landed Shaquille O’Neal with the top pick, who helped them win 20 more games than the previous year. However, winning a championship was something Shaq knew he couldn’t do alone. O’Neal’s outstanding rookie season helped him build enough credibility to make massive demands from the Magic. So, for the next year draft’s pick, the Big Aristotle made some demands to the Magic front office in a threatening way.
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The center’s contribution to turning the franchise’s fortunes earned him the Rookie of the Year award. Having won 41 games in O’Neal’s debut season in 1992-93, the franchise’s odds of winning the draft lottery in 1993 was 1.5%. However, they shockingly won it and landed the top pick in the 1993 NBA draft.
Before the draft, Shaq made it clear to the front office that he wanted them to draft Penny Hardaway and even threatened to leave after only one season with the team if they didn’t. In his memoir Shaq Uncut, O’Neal mentioned his talk with Magic GM, John Gabriel and said,
“Listen, I understand you want Webber(Chris Webber), but this cat Penny Hardaway is the answer. I got to know him doing the movie Blue Chips, and if you put us together we could be like Magic and Kareem… If you don’t bring Penny in here, then maybe I’ve got to think about doing something else.”
The Magic initially did not adhere to O’Neal’s wishes and picked Chris Webber as the top pick in the 1993 NBA draft. The center was incensed and called general manager John Gabriel to voice his frustration. However, O’Neal wasn’t aware that the Magic were in talks with the Golden State Warriors about a deal that would send Webber to the Bay Area in exchange for Hardaway and draft picks.
The Magic pulled the trigger on the deal and landed the point guard O’Neal had handpicked. The franchise lived up to its end of the bargain, so it was time for the center to take the franchise to new heights with Hardaway. And the duo did just that.
The Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway era in Orlando
After averaging 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in his rookie season, Shaquille O’Neal’s numbers saw a massive spike in his sophomore year with Penny Hardway alongside him. He averaged 29.3 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists and finished fourth in the MVP race behind Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Scottie Pippen. Hardaway also had a spectacular rookie year averaging 16 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.4 rebounds and narrowly missed out on the Rookie of the Year, which went to Chris Webber.
O’Neal and Hardaway led the Magic to a 50-32 record and helped the franchise earn their maiden playoff appearance. However, their maiden voyage in the playoffs did not go swimmingly, as the Indiana Pacers swept them 3-0 in the first round, ending their season.
The following season, O’Neal continued to dominate and averaged 29.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists and finished second in the MVP race behind Robinson. Hardaway also took a massive step forward. His numbers improved to 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.4 assists, and he earned his maiden All-Star nod. O’Neal and Hardaway’s excellence helped the Magic finish the regular season with a 57-25 record and commence their playoff journey as the #1 seed in the East.
They thrashed the Boston Celtics 3-1 in the first round to set up a clash against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals. The upstart Magic roster wasn’t scared of the dynastic Bulls team and upstaged them in six games to advance to the Conference Finals. Awaiting them in the East Finals were the Indiana Pacers, who eliminated them from the playoffs in 1994.
O’Neal and Hardway had revenge on their minds and didn’t fail to get it. O’Neal averaged 27.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals, while Hardaway put up 19.6 points, 7.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 steals per game as the Magic beat the Pacers 4-3 and won the East. In their NBA Finals debut, O’Neal, Hardaway, and the Magic were like deer in the headlights as Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets swept them 4-0 and shattered their championship dreams.
In the 1995-96 season, O’Neal was limited to only 56 games due to injuries, allowing Hardaway to be the team’s first option on offense. He thrived in that role and averaged 21.7 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds, and led the Magic to a 60-22 record, the best in franchise history. He finished third in the NBA MVP race behind Jordan and Robinson.
O’Neal, Hardaway, and the Magic cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs sweeping the Detroit Pistons in the first round and beating the Atlanta Hawks 4-1 in the second to advance to the Conference Finals. However, it was Jordan and the Bulls’ turn to seek revenge for their loss from the previous campaign and they did it with fury. They hammered the Magic 4-0 and advanced to the NBA Finals.
Despite the loss, the future seemed bright in Orlando with two young MVP-caliber players on the roster. However, contract disputes ended O’Neal’s tenure with the Magic in 1996, and he joined the Los Angeles Lakers on a seven-year, $120 million deal. They ended up regretting the decision and left the world wondering how different the NBA’s landscape would’ve been today.
