Magic to retire number 32 jersey of Shaquille O’Neal

Army National Guard members Staff Sgt. Maygen Matson, left, and Spc. Taylor Anonson pose for a photo with National Basketball Association superstar Shaquille O'Neal during NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Feb. 15, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Angela Walz

According to Ameer Tyree of CBS Sports on Thursday, the Orlando Magic are retiring the jersey number 32, worn by Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal of Newark, New Jersey. O’Neal played four seasons with the Magic from 1992 to 1996, and was an All-Star each season. He is the first Magic player in the history of the franchise to have his number retired. The ceremony will take place on February 13, when the Magic face the Oklahoma City Thunder.

O’Neal was initially selected first overall in the 1992 National Basketball Association draft. He went on to play 293 games, and averaged 27.2 points per game, 12.5 rebounds per game, 2.8 blocks per game, and 2.4 assists per game. O’Neal had a field goal percentage of .581, three point percentage of .091, and a free throw percentage of .546.

In those four seasons with the Magic, O’Neal had a huge impact. He set the Magic single season record for minutes played (3224 in 1993-94), field goals (953 in 1993-94), two-point field goals (953 in 1993-94), two point field goal attempts (1589 in 1993-94 and 1994-95), offensive rebounds (384 in 1993-94), blocks (286 in 1992-93), and blocks per game (3.5 in 1992-93). O’Neal’s 2.8 blocks per game is also a Magic franchise record. In 1993-94, O’Neal led the NBA with a .599 field goal percentage, and in 1994-95, led the NBA with 29.3 points per game.

O’Neal’s most notable game for the Magic came on April 20, 1994. In a 121-101 Orlando win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, O’Neal scored 53 points. It was the second most number of points scored by a Magic player in a career, and the second most number of points O’Neal scored in a game. Tracy McGrady had 62 points in a 108-99 Magic win over the Washington Wizards on April 20, 1994, and O’Neal had 61 points in a 123-103 Los Angeles Lakers win over the Los Angeles Clippers on March 6, 2000.

O’Neal went on to play for the Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. In our top 10 list of greatest players all-time, we have O’Neal at number seven. O’Neal’s number 34 was retired by the Lakers in 2013, and his number 32 was retired by the Heat in 2016. O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain are the only two players in NBA history to have their numbers retired by three different teams that they played with.

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