NBA Draft: Magic Have Great Success With Past No. 1 Picks

The Magic have drafted generational talents with the top pick in the past.

Jeremy Brener | May 18, 2022

NBA Draft: Magic Have Great Success With Past No. 1 Picks /

For the fourth time in franchise history, the Orlando Magic hold the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.

Shaquille O'Neal

Jamahl Mosley

And history has proven that the Magic are destined to land a generational talent with the top pick.

The Magic hasn't picked first in the NBA Draft since 2004, when the team selected Dwight Howard.

Howard went on to start his Hall of Fame career with eight seasons in Central Florida, averaging 18.4 points per game, 13 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He also made the All-Star team six times and was named the Defensive Player of the Year three times. In his best year, 2008-09, Howard helped lead the Magic to the NBA Finals.

The team selected Chris Webber first overall in 1993, but traded his draft rights to the Golden State Warriors for Penny Hardaway.

Hardaway became a four-time All-Star with the Magic and helped lead the team to its only NBA Finals berth in franchise history back in 1995.

Hardaway teamed up with the 1992 top pick Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal went on to become one of the greatest players in NBA history and started his legacy in Orlando for the first four seasons of his career. O'Neal's heroics helped the Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets.

USATSI_18010148 — Robert Deutsch/USA Today Sports

Paolo Banchero

Jabari Smith

Paolo Banchero

Given the team's history at drafting No. 1, it's hard not to get excited about the team's bright future.

So, if the 2022 No. 1 pick is anything like the top picks of Magic past, Orlando is about to get one magical player.

Published May 18, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.