Record 41–41 (.500) Start date 1992 Head coach Matt Guokas | Playoff finish DNQ Arena Amway Arena Radio WDBO | |
Place Division: 4th (Atlantic)
Conference: 9th (Eastern) Televisions Fox Sports Florida, Fox Sports Sun, WKCF Similar 1992–93 NBA season, 1979–80 Los Angeles, 2009–10 Boston Celtics se, 2003–04 Los Angeles, 1998–99 Chicago Bulls sea | ||
The 1992–93 NBA season was the Magic's fourth season in the National Basketball Association. This season held a lot of promise as Shaquille O'Neal was drafted first overall by the Magic in the 1992 NBA draft. Meanwhile, the Magic signed free agent Donald Royal during the offseason. There were predictions that O'Neal would become the next dominant center in the NBA. Shaq became an instant superstar with merchandising that rivaled only Michael Jordan. The Magic started to show improvement winning eight of their first eleven games, but then lost six straight afterwards. In December, the team acquired Steve Kerr from the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Magic had various problems with injuries as Dennis Scott got hurt near the end of the season, as the Magic lost a tie-breaker for the final playoff spot in the East to the Indiana Pacers with a 41–41 record.
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O'Neal averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game as he was named Rookie of The Year. He was also selected for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game. Following the season, Kerr signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls, head coach Matt Guokas was fired and Terry Catledge retired.
Regular season
Shaquille O'Neal was drafted as the 1st overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. During that summer, prior to moving to Orlando, he spent a significant amount of time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. O'Neal had an exceptional rookie season, as he helped the Magic win 20 more games than the previous season, with the team ultimately missing the playoffs by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Indiana Pacers. O'Neal averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per game for the season and was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year. O'Neal played in the All-Star game and scored 14 points. On two occasions during that season, each during a nationally televised game, O'Neal dunked the ball so hard that he broke the backboard support units.