(Photo : JOHN MOTTERN/AFP by way of Getty Images) BOSTON, : Shaquille O’Neal of the Orlando Magic drives previous Eric Montross of the Boston Celtics 20 March, in Boston, Massachusetts. O’Neal completed with 28 factors, with the Magic successful 112-90.
The Orlando Magic is ready to honor Shaquille O’Neal by retiring his iconic jersey quantity 32, practically 28 years after his final recreation with the crew.
The Magic plan to commemorate O’Neal in a particular ceremony on February 13, 2024, following their recreation towards the Oklahoma City Thunder on the Kia Center as a part of their thirty fifth anniversary celebrations as a franchise.
Selected as the highest decide within the 1992 NBA Draft by the Magic, O’Neal shortly made an influence. He earned Rookie of the Year accolades, secured a number of NBA All-Star Game appearances, and guided the crew to an apperance within the 1995 NBA Finals, although they had been swept by the Houston Rockets.
In 1996, O’Neal departed the Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, the place he spent the top of his storied profession.
Shaq will probably be in elite firm, becoming a member of Wilt Chamberlain as the one gamers in NBA historical past to have their jerseys retired by three completely different groups they as soon as performed for.
Previously, O’Neal’s No. 34 was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers, and his No. 32 was honored by the Miami Heat. The 7-foot-1 massive man would be the first participant in Magic franchise historical past to have his jersey quantity retired.
As a outcome, solely two NBA groups are left with none retired jersey numbers.
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Remaining NBA groups with out a retired jersey quantity
Los Angeles Clippers
While the Clippers have loved a decade of success not too long ago, for almost all of their historical past, they had been persistently referred to as perennial losers, with their fortunes solely turning round within the 2010s.
With their latest success, there’s hypothesis that some gamers could discover their jerseys raised to the rafters within the coming years, particularly with the opening of their new state-of-the-art enviornment in Inglewood, the Intuit Dome, scheduled for 2024.
Jersey numbers comparable to Chris Paul’s No. 3, Blake Griffin’s No. 32, DeAndre Jordan’s No. 6, and Jamal Crawford’s No. 11 are among the many potential candidates that could possibly be immortalized as banners when these gamers resolve to retire.
Toronto Raptors
Despite being one of many few groups to clinch an NBA championship, the absence of a jersey quantity hanging within the rafters of the Scotiabank Arena for the Toronto Raptors is stunning, given their wealthy historical past and the presence of nice gamers who’ve adorned the Raptors jersey.
However, this state of affairs is actually set to alter quickly, with Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 and DeMar DeRozan’s No. 10 probably destined for jersey retirements sooner or later.
The query of whether or not Kawhi Leonard’s No. 2 also needs to be retired sparks a highly-contested debate, contemplating he led the crew to their lone NBA championship in 2019, however he solely spent one season with the Raptors.
In addition to those, different potential candidates for jersey retirement for the Raptors embody Vince Carter’s No. 15 and Chris Bosh’s No. 4.
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