The Orlando Magic is set to honor Shaquille O'Neal by retiring his iconic jersey number 32, nearly 28 years after his last game with the team.
The Magic plan to commemorate O'Neal in a special ceremony on February 13, 2024, following their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Kia Center as part of their 35th anniversary celebrations as a franchise.
Selected as the top pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Magic, O'Neal quickly made an impact. He earned Rookie of the Year accolades, secured multiple NBA All-Star Game appearances, and guided the team to an apperance in the 1995 NBA Finals, though they were swept by the Houston Rockets.
In 1996, O'Neal departed the Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, where he spent the pinnacle of his storied career.
Shaq will be in elite company, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to have their jerseys retired by three different teams they once played 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 big man will be the first player in Magic franchise history to have his jersey number retired.
As a result, only two NBA teams are left without any retired jersey numbers.
Remaining NBA teams without a retired jersey number
Los Angeles Clippers
While the Clippers have enjoyed a decade of success recently, for the majority of their history, they were consistently known as perennial losers, with their fortunes only turning around in the 2010s.
With their recent success, there's speculation that some players may find their jerseys raised to the rafters in the coming years, especially with the opening of their new state-of-the-art arena in Inglewood, the Intuit Dome, scheduled for 2024.
Jersey numbers such as Chris Paul's No. 3, Blake Griffin's No. 32, DeAndre Jordan's No. 6, and Jamal Crawford's No. 11 are among the potential candidates that could be immortalized as banners when these players decide to retire.
Toronto Raptors
Despite being one of the few teams to clinch an NBA championship, the absence of a jersey number hanging in the rafters of the Scotiabank Arena for the Toronto Raptors is surprising, given their rich history and the presence of great players who have adorned the Raptors jersey.
However, this scenario is certainly set to change soon, with Kyle Lowry's No. 7 and DeMar DeRozan's No. 10 likely destined for jersey retirements in the future.
The question of whether Kawhi Leonard's No. 2 should also be retired sparks a highly-contested debate, considering he led the team to their lone NBA championship in 2019, but he only spent one season with the Raptors.
In addition to these, other potential candidates for jersey retirement for the Raptors include Vince Carter's No. 15 and Chris Bosh's No. 4.
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