It isn’t easy being drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic.
It’s not because the franchise have massive expectations to live up to past successes, but rather, because the team don’t have a track record of holding on to their stars.
Paolo Banchero was the No.1 pick in Thursday’s draft, beating out Jabari Smith and Chet Holmgren.
However, Magic fans quickly turned their thoughts to two past first overall picks made by the team: Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard.
If Banchero looks at ‘Shaq’ and ‘Superman’, he’ll see two players that brought success to the Florida franchise.
The Magic, who were founded in 1989, made the NBA Final in 1995 thanks to O’Neal, as the former LSU centre changed the game.
“I feel like this is a fantasy” Banchero on being the No.1 pick for Magic in NBA draft
That success didn’t last however. O’Neal later left for Los Angeles, where he became a three-time NBA champion alongside Kobe Bryant. “I regret that decision,’ Shaq would say more than two decades later.
It took the Magic a decade and a half to hit those heights again.
The team dominated the Eastern Conference in 2009 thanks to Howard, who looked to be the heir apparent to Shaq given his athleticism.
However, just like with Shaq, the NBA Finals was the team’s ceiling. Unable to get past the Lakers, Howard followed in O’Neal’s footsteps and left for Los Angeles as well.
Although he didn’t win a title immediately, he did during his second stint with the team during their bubble run, in Orlando of all places.
With those two precedents, Banchero has an even bigger challenge ahead of him as he looks to finally bring success to Orlando.
They’ll certainly be hoping he isn’t seduced by the purple and gold of the Lakers.
Marca
