"In a few years, we might see some proxy wars between former players turned owners", "Please let the Knicks be next" - Fans pour in their reactions after Shaquille O'Neal shows interest in buying Orlando Magic
Former NBA player and Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal recently expressed an interest in buying the Orlando Magic, the franchise that brought him into the NBA. This year, the Magic had the first overall pick in the NBA draft, with which they drafted the former Duke Blue Devil, Paolo Banchero.
Being a No.1 pick for the Orlando Magic himself, Shaquille O'Neal, on TNT'S "The Big Podcast with Shaq," spoke about purchasing the franchise along with his former teammate Dennis Scott, stating:
"Listen we still run that franchise [Magic]. If they wanna sell it to us, DeVos family, we're ready to go right now.
"This message go out to the DeVos family, if you're ready to sell Orlando Magic, sell it to somebody who's gonna take it to the next level, that's us. D[ennis] Scott and then, D Scott can pick everybody else.
"Smart people combined with common sense people and people that's been there before, you can't go wrong."
r/NBA reacted to O'Neal's comments, with a user predicting an impending proxy war between former players as owners of the teams they played for.
Shaquille O'Neal's tenure with the Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an expansion franchise that joined the the NBA in 1989 along with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Magic found some early success after drafting Shaquille O'Neal first overall in 1992. Shaq went on to win rookie of the year, and led the Magic to a .500 record in the '92-'93 NBA season.
The following season, Penny Hardaway joined forces with O'Neal and took the Magic to their first playoff appearance in franchise history. The Indiana Pacers swept the Orlando Magic in the first-round of a close series (89-88 in Game 1, 103-101 in Game 2).
The Orlando Magic went to the NBA finals just 6 years after its inaugural season, as Shaq and Penny led the way for a win in the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers in the 1995 playoffs.
The Magic suffered yet another sweep as Hakeem Olajuwon and company defeated Orlando in four games in the 1995 NBA finals.
O'Neal left the Magic in 1996, and went to the LA Lakers, where he would go on to win three NBA titles (2000, 2001, 2002).