Orlando Magic delete Anthony Black-Gradey Dick jersey swap pic after hitting 1,000,000 views on X
The Orlando Magic are arguably one of the best social media teams in North American professional sports. They often take a humorous approach to their content and make stylized choices that generate hype. The Magic social media team was at it again on Sunday. However, this time they may have gone too far.
Entering the 2023 NBA Draft, the Magic were projected to draft Anthony Black and Gradey Dick with their two lottery picks. This spurred many online jokes and childish puns. Orlando instead took Black and Jett Howard. Dick ended up on the Toronto Raptors instead.
On Sunday, Dick and Black shared a court for the second time this season. After the game, the two did a soccer-style jersey exchange and posed for pictures.
They were pictured in a very specific order that got plenty of people talking online for obvious reasons. The Magic's official account tweeted the picture and it blew up online garnering more than one million views. The picture was captioned “class of '23”.
The Magic have since deleted the tweet after the viral firestorm. They probably did not love the blowback.
Dick finished the game on with 10 points in 27 minutes. Black put up two points in three minutes off the bench in garbage time.
Black did not play in the second meeting between these two teams this season. In the first matchup, Black had five points and Dick had three points off the bench in the Magic’s win 126-107 win in November.
Orlando Magic hand Toronto Raptors another loss
The Orlando Magic maintained their standing among Eastern conference contenders with a 111-96 win against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Paolo Banchero led the way with 29 points. It was the seventh straight loss for Toronto.
The dynamic duo of Banchero and Franz Wagner are rising young stars and showed out once again. Wagner added 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the win. His brother Moritz added 14 points. The Orlando Magic are 8-2 in their past 10.
The slumping Raptors have essentially committed to tanking the season. Their star Scottie Barnes remains out and they traded away most of their veteran pieces as they look to rebuild toward the future.
The Toronto box score was filled with irregular names. Jordan Nwora led the team with 18 points. Gary Trent Jr. had 15 and Bruce Brown added 12.
It was the second matchup in three days between the two. The Magic won 113-103 in Toronto on Friday.
The Orlando Magic defense showed up again on Sunday. They held the Raptors scoreless in the first 3:33 of the third quarter to pull away and never looked back. The Magic are third in the NBA in defensive rating.