TSL ran a story impressing our initial support for Dwight Howard’s number to be retired by the Magic before Shaq on January 10th, 2024. Howard has finally addressed the matter and he agrees with us.
“The Magic have finally just decided to retire Shaq’s jersey,” Howard said on the All-Stars Podcast. “And how many years did Shaq play with Orlando? Four years. So that’s kind of crazy. I played there for nine years and what we did in Orlando — no offense to Shaq, he should have his jersey retired — but I should’ve been the first one to have his jersey retired.”
The Orlando Magic’s second NBA Finals appearance with Howard, was less expected than the first with Shaq.
In the 2008-09 season, the basketball world thought the NBA Finals would be an historic first meeting between the game’s best player, Kobe Bryant, and the future of the league, LeBron James.
A young center named Dwight Howard, probably one of the last great post players at that position, derailed everyone’s dream matchup and stuck it to NBA history by leading a band of role players past LeBron’s Cleveland Cavs squad before losing to Los Angeles Lakers super duo, Kobe Bryant and Shaq, in the 2009 Finals (4-1).
Howard was a ferocious defensive force and was more than capable of offensive production. He averaged a double-double in every season in his illustrious 12-year career, which started straight out of high school at 19 and ended abruptly at age 30.
Regardless of what people think of Howard’s lifestyle choices or relationships with former players, his accolades show that he was the greatest player in Orlando Magic’s history for the eight seasons he was there.
Orlando Magic To Make Shaq First Number Retired
Shaquille O’Neal is one of basketball’s all-time most dominant players, and one of the most interesting personalities that the game has ever seen. His legendary career spanned 19 years, and it all started when the Orlando Magic took Shaq Diesel with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.
Although he never bought Orlando any hardware, he put them on the map. Along with another burgeoning young star named Penny Hardaway, Diesel took Orlando to its first NBA Finals in 1995 and gave them something to believe in, which deserves some gratitude.
Orlando will oblige, and their way of paying homage to one of the greatest players in basketball history is by putting his jersey in the rafters and making sure no one ever dons No. 32 again for the Magic.
Even after he’s retired, Shaq is still making basketball history. Proof that his basketball brand is as good in the hood as his business portfolio is on Wall Street.
The “Inside the NBA” on TNT crew surprised Shaq live with the news that his jersey was being retired. Shaq watched a fake video call that showed Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins relaying this message to him.
“When someone asks who was the first player to officially put the Orlando Magic on the map, the answer is simple — Shaquille O’Neal,” Martins said. “He took this franchise to new heights, both on and off the court, and his legacy is still felt within our organization today. On behalf of the DeVos family, we are excited to honor Shaquille by raising No. 32 into the rafters of the Kia Center, where it will remain forever.”
Shaq totally embraced the moment.
“I was Victor Wembanyama before him. … You come in and they expect you to turn things around,” O’Neal said after it was announced that the Magic would retire his jersey number. “It was a great four years there. I just wanted to come in and make a name for myself.”
Shaq did indeed make a name for himself. In his time with the Magic, he averaged 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks over the course of his four years in Orlando. In those four years with Orlando, he arguably produced the best statistics of his career.
He was also named an All-Star in all four of his seasons, including his rookie year that saw him win Rookie of the Year.
Of course, in 1996 Shaq left the Magic to join the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would go on to win three championships. He also joined the Miami Heat and won a championship with them, to finish his illustrious career with four rings.
Along with his championship jewelry, Shaq is an MVP (1999-’00), 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA and two-time scoring champ. He already has his jersey retired by the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, so this next honor only adds to his legacy of dominance.
Dwight Howard Led Orlando For A Decade
In the 2009 NBA Finals, Howard averaged 20.3 points and 15.3 boards per game. Toss in 2.6 blocks and you have one of the best to ever do it in the post. Howard is second behind Dennis Rodman in top career rebounding averages since 1973 (12.7). He carried the Orlando Magic’s franchise on his back for a decade.
Howard was a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, made eight All-star squads, eight All-NBA selections, five straight All-NBA First Team selections (2008-2012), five NBA All-Defensive selections and led Orlando to three straight Southeast Division titles.
And he found time to win three NBA Community Assist Awards, while being box office and doing things that stars do like win Slam Dunk contests.
When it comes to players who have literally carried a team, even Shaq never had to carry a burden to the magnitude that Howard did in his tenure with the Magic. The disrespect for him across the NBA is disheartening.
And the fact that he hasn’t been honored properly in Orlando and they decided to give Shaq — who had a cup of coffee with the team if we are being honest — the honor of a jersey retirement before Howard is definitely questionable. This doesn’t take anything away from Shaquille O’Neal, who needs no introduction or co-signs.
