The Orlando Magic were founded in 1989 as part of the NBA’s expansion.¹⁾

The name “Magic” was inspired by Orlando’s tourism slogan, “The Magic of Orlando.”²⁾

Pat Williams, a former Philadelphia 76ers executive, spearheaded the campaign to bring an NBA team to Orlando.³⁾

The team name was chosen through a fan contest, receiving over 4,000 submissions.⁴⁾

Other finalist names included Heat, Tropics, and Juice, but “Magic” was selected.⁵⁾

The Magic were part of the NBA’s late-'80s expansion along with Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets.⁶⁾

The Magic played their first 21 seasons at the Orlando Arena, later renamed the TD Waterhouse Centre.⁷⁾

Since 2010, the team plays at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando.⁸⁾

The Amway Center is recognized for its modern design and eco-friendly features.⁹⁾

The Magic sold out all 41 home games in their inaugural season.¹⁰⁾

Orlando played its first game on November 4, 1989, against the New Jersey Nets.¹¹⁾

Reggie Theus scored the first points in franchise history.¹²⁾

Their first-ever victory came in their second game, against the New York Knicks.¹³⁾

The Magic finished their first season with a 18–64 record.¹⁴⁾

In 1992, the Magic drafted Shaquille O’Neal with the No. 1 pick.¹⁵⁾

In 1993, they traded Chris Webber for Penny Hardaway and three future first-round picks.¹⁶⁾

Orlando reached the NBA Finals in 1995, just six years after their founding.¹⁷⁾

O’Neal departed for the Lakers in 1996, shocking the franchise.¹⁸⁾

In 2004, the Magic selected Dwight Howard as the No. 1 overall pick.¹⁹⁾

Behind Howard, the Magic returned to the NBA Finals in 2009.²⁰⁾

The Magic became the fastest expansion team to reach the NBA Finals (in 1995).²¹⁾

The Magic won a franchise-best 60 games in the 1995–96 season.²²⁾

The team has made the NBA playoffs over 16 times.²³⁾

Stan Van Gundy holds the best regular-season win percentage in team history.²⁴⁾

The Magic have no retired player numbers, but they retired the No. 6 for the fans.²⁵⁾

Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, and Tracy McGrady are Magic alumni inducted into the Hall of Fame.²⁶⁾

The Hardaway-O’Neal combo was one of the NBA’s most popular duos in the mid-'90s.²⁷⁾

Dwight Howard leads the franchise in total points, rebounds, and blocks.²⁸⁾

The first Magic player to record a triple-double was Scott Skiles.²⁹⁾

Skiles also holds the NBA record for most assists in a game with 30, set in 1990.³⁰⁾

The Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery in both 1992 (Shaq) and 1993 (Webber).³¹⁾

They also won the No. 1 pick in 2004 (Howard) and 2022 (Paolo Banchero).³²⁾

Their worst full-season record was 15–67 in 2003–04.³³⁾

In 2012, Dwight Howard was traded to the Lakers in a four-team blockbuster deal.³⁴⁾

The Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic rivalry is known as the “Sunshine State Showdown.”³⁵⁾

In 2009, the Magic stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.³⁶⁾

The Magic faced the Boston Celtics in back-to-back playoff years (2009, 2010), splitting series.³⁷⁾

The team is owned by the DeVos family, founders of Amway.³⁸⁾

John Gabriel served as the team’s GM during their late-'90s rebuilding era.³⁹⁾

The Magic are known for their strong presence in Central Florida charities.⁴⁰⁾

The team’s mascot, Stuff the Magic Dragon, is one of the NBA’s most beloved.⁴¹⁾

The team has featured several notable international players, like Hedo Türkoğlu and Nikola Vučević.⁴²⁾

The Magic’s pinstriped jerseys are considered iconic among NBA uniforms.⁴³⁾

The franchise has an official NBA 2K League team, Magic Gaming.⁴⁴⁾

The No. 6 jersey was retired to represent the fans as the team’s “sixth man.”⁴⁵⁾