Shaquille O’Neal becomes first player in Orlando Magic HISTORY to have his jersey retired: ‘I’m honored – it was definitely unexpected’

NBA legend and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal said being the first player to have his jersey retired by the Orlando Magic was “definitely unexpected” during a press conference on Tuesday.

O’Neal’s No. 32 jersey will be the first retired in franchise history, following Orlando’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

“It’s definitely unexpected, when we did the Ring of Honor thing, I thought that was it,” O’Neal said.

And then I always thought it would probably be the second one. I always thought you’d take a guy like Nick Anderson first, since you know he was the first pick in the draft.

‘I’m honored to be the first, but it’s definitely unexpected. I wasn’t expecting this at all but I’ll take it.

‘No. 32 is going to look great up there, but I’m very grateful to you and your staff and the DeVos family, but like I said when I came back a couple years ago for the Ring of Honor thing, I thought that’s what was going on. tonight.’

During his four years in Orlando, O’Neal averaged 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 295 games while shooting 58.1 percent from the field.

He was named an All-Star in every season he played in a Magic uniform and won the Rookie of the Year award during his first season.

O’Neal’s jerseys from his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat have also been retired following his dominance during those periods.

Anderson, who O’Neal mentioned he thought would be the first Magic player to have his jersey retired, was the franchise’s first draft pick when they became an expansion team in 1989.

The 11th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft spent 10 seasons playing for the Magic and averaged 15.4 points and 5.3 rebounds during his time in Orlando.