1992–93 Orlando Magic season

1992–93 Orlando Magic season
Shaquille O'Neal's rookie season
Head coach	Matt Guokas
Arena	Orlando Arena
Results
Record	41–41 (.500)
Place	Division: 4th (Atlantic) Conference: 9th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	DNQ
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	SportsChannel Florida, Sunshine Network, WKCF
Radio	WDBO

The 1992-93 season was Orlando’s fourth season in the NBA.^[1] The season held a lot of promise as Shaquille O'Neal was drafted first overall by the Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft. There were predictions that O’Neal become the next dominant center in the NBA. Shaq became an instant superstar with merchandising that rivaled only Michael Jordan. O’Neal would win the Rookie of the Year Award while averaging 23.4 points per game, and 13.9 rebounds per game. The Magic had various problems with injuries, as Dennis Scott got hurt near the end of the season. Despite O’Neal’s rookie performance, the Magic fell short of the final playoff spot via tiebreaker with a 41-41 record.^[2]

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	1	Shaquille O'Neal	C	United States	LSU

Roster

Orlando Magic roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From SG 25 Anderson, Nick 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Illinois SG 14 Bowie, Anthony 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oklahoma PF 33 Catledge, Terry 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) South Alabama PF 8 Dele, Bison 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Arizona PG 11 Green, Litterial 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Georgia SG 2 Kerr, Steve 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Arizona C 34 Kite, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Brigham Young C 32 O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 300 lb (136 kg) LSU SF 5 Royal, Donald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Notre Dame SF 3 Scott, Dennis  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 229 lb (104 kg) Georgia Tech PG 4 Skiles, Scott 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Michigan State PF 40 Tolbert, Tom 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Arizona PF 31 Turner, Jeff 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Vanderbilt PF 42 Wright, Howard 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Stanford	Head coach Matt Guokas Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Shaquille O'Neal was drafted as the 1st overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. During that summer, prior to moving to Orlando, he spent a significant amount of time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. O'Neal had an exceptional rookie season, as he helped the Magic win 20 more games than the previous season, with the team ultimately missing the playoffs by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Indiana Pacers. O'Neal averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per game for the season and was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year. O'Neal played in the All-Star game and scored 14 points. On two occasions during that season, each during a nationally televised game, O'Neal dunked the ball so hard that he broke the backboard support units.

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-New York Knicks	60	22	.732	—	37–4	23–18	23–5
x-Boston Celtics	48	34	.585	12	28–13	20–21	19–9
x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	17	26–15	17–24	14–14
Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	19	27–14	14–27	15–13
Miami Heat	36	46	.439	24	26–15	10–31	9–19
Philadelphia 76ers	26	56	.317	34	15–26	11–30	11–17
Washington Bullets	22	60	.268	38	15–26	7–34	7–21

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-New York Knicks	60	22	.732	–
2	y-Chicago Bulls	57	25	.695	3
3	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	54	28	.659	6
4	x-Boston Celtics	48	34	.585	12
5	x-Charlotte Hornets	44	38	.537	16
6	x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	17
7	x-Atlanta Hawks	43	39	.524	17
8	x-Indiana Pacers	41	41	.500	19
9	Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	19
10	Detroit Pistons	40	42	.488	20
11	Miami Heat	36	46	.439	24
12	Milwaukee Bucks	28	54	.341	32
13	Philadelphia 76ers	26	56	.317	36
14	Washington Bullets	22	60	.268	38

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Player	GP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	AVG
Nick Anderson	79	477	265	128	56	1574	19.9
Shaquille O'Neal	81	1122	152	60	286	1893	23.4

Awards and honors

• Shaquille O’Neal, NBA Rookie of the Year
• Shaquille O’Neal, NBA All-Rookie Team

NBA All-Star Game

• Shaquille O'Neal

References

1. 1992-93 Orlando Magic
2. Orlando Magic (1989-Present)

• Orlando Magic on Database Basketball
• Orlando Magic on Basketball Reference