Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 Jersey to be Retired by Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic announced on Thursday that they will retire Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 jersey in a postgame ceremony on February 13. This will make O’Neal the second player in NBA history to have his jersey retired by three different franchises he played for, joining Wilt Chamberlain. O’Neal’s No. 34 was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013 and his No. 32 was retired by the Miami Heat in 2016. Chamberlain’s No. 13 was retired by the Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, and the Harlem Globetrotters.
O’Neal’s No. 33 was also retired by the LSU Tigers.
The Magic, celebrating their 35th anniversary this season, will be retiring a player’s number for the first time in franchise history. O’Neal, the 7-foot-1 center known for his dominance and backboard-breaking dunks, led the Magic to a 20-win improvement as a rookie in 1993 and guided them to their first NBA Finals appearance in 1994-95, winning the first of his two career scoring titles that same year.
O’Neal’s journey with the Magic began when they won the 1992 lottery and selected him as the top pick. However, his desired No. 33 was already taken by Terry Catledge, who refused to give it up for the rookie, leading O’Neal to jokingly call him a “punk ass” years later for turning down his offer of $50,000 for the number.
Now, after over three decades, O’Neal’s iconic No. 32 jersey will hang in the rafters of Orlando forever.
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(Photo: Fernando Medina / NBAE via Getty Images)