athlore
HomeDiscoverLibrarySign inCreate account
↗
⌂Home◎Discover⌕Library
Basketball / Teams
FRANCHISE

NBA franchise story

Orlando Magic

Orlando has repeatedly found elite big men—Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard and now Paolo Banchero—building sudden contenders around size and youthful ambition.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Orlando Magic.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Orlando Magic official team history ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1989–90—1991–92

01
ORLANDERSON25Nick Anderson
ORLSKILES4Scott Skiles
ORLSCOTT3Dennis Scott

A young market waits for a lottery break

Expansion in Orlando

The Magic endured three expansion seasons while assembling the guards and shooters who would complement a transformative draft pick.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

1989–90—1991–92

02▼

Franchise era

1992–93—1995–96

02
ORLO'NEAL32Shaquille O'Neal
ORLHARDAWAY1Penny Hardaway
ORLGRANT54Horace Grant

From lottery to Finals in three years

Shaq and Penny

O'Neal and Hardaway made Orlando an instant phenomenon and reached the 1995 Finals before the partnership ended abruptly.

Read the era story →

Chapter 02

1992–93—1995–96

03▼

Franchise era

1996–97—1999–00

03
ORLHARDAWAY1Penny Hardaway
ORLARMSTRONG10Darrell Armstrong
ORLOUTLAW45Bo Outlaw

Penny's injuries lead to an admired reset

Heart and Hustle

Hardaway fought injuries, and a starless 1999–2000 team overachieved while clearing space for a major summer.

Read the era story →

Chapter 03

1996–97—1999–00

04▼

Franchise era

2000–01—2003–04

04
ORLMCGRADY1Tracy McGrady
ORLMILLER50Mike Miller
ORLARMSTRONG10Darrell Armstrong

A scoring champion carries a thin roster

The T-Mac years

McGrady became one of basketball's most complete scorers, but Grant Hill's injuries denied Orlando the partnership it envisioned.

Read the era story →

Chapter 04

2000–01—2003–04

05▼

Franchise era

2004–05—2011–12

05
ORLHOWARD12Dwight Howard
ORLNELSON14Jameer Nelson
ORLTÜRKOĞLU15Hedo Türkoğlu

Defense and shooting reach the Finals

Dwight and four-out basketball

Howard's interior dominance surrounded by shooters produced 59 wins and a 2009 Finals appearance.

Read the era story →

Chapter 05

2004–05—2011–12

06▼

Franchise era

2012–13—2020–21

06
ORLVUČEVIĆ9Nikola Vučević
ORLGORDON00Aaron Gordon
ORLFOURNIER10Evan Fournier

Years of prospects without an engine

The long rebuild

Vučević became an All-Star, but the Magic never found enough creation and eventually traded the veteran core.

Read the era story →

Chapter 06

2012–13—2020–21

07

Franchise era

2021–22—present

07
ORLBANCHERO5Paolo Banchero
ORLWAGNER22Franz Wagner
ORLSUGGS4Jalen Suggs

Size and skill form a new identity

Paolo and Franz

Banchero and Wagner gave Orlando two oversized creators, while Suggs and a deep defense accelerated the return to the playoffs.

Read the era story →

Chapter 07

2021–22—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Orlando Magic games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Regular Season

Regular Season
2017
HOUSTONROCKETS
ORLANDOMAGIC
JAN 30, 2018

Rockets vs Magic

Jan 30, 2018

#02 · Regular Season

Regular Season
2004
LOS ANGELESLAKERS
ORLANDOMAGIC
NOV 12, 2004

Lakers vs Magic

Nov 12, 2004

#03 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
1995
GAME1
HOUSTONROCKETS
ORLANDOMAGIC
JUN 7, 1995

Rockets vs Magic

Jun 7, 1995

#04 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
1995
GAME4
ORLANDOMAGIC
HOUSTONROCKETS
1995-06-14

Orlando Magic vs Houston Rockets

1995-06-14

#05 · Eastern Conference First Round

Eastern ConferenceFirst Round
1997
GAME5
ORLANDOMAGIC
MIAMIHEAT
1997-05-04

Orlando Magic vs Miami Heat

1997-05-04

Season history

Past seasons

37 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Orlando Magic games

3,119 total · loaded 10 at a time