1993–94 Orlando Magic season

The 1993-94 season was the Magic's fifth season in the NBA. Despite missing the playoffs in 1993 gave the Magic unexpected good fortune. Despite having the worst odds, the Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery for the second consecutive season. The Magic drafted Chris Webber with the first pick overall. They would eventually swap Webber to the Golden State Warriors for the to rights to guard Anfernee Hardaway. Hardaway was selected 3rd overall by the Warriors, but the Magic acquired 3 future first round picks so the Warriors could have the rights to Chris Webber. ^[1]

With the addition of Anfernee Hardaway, the Magic acquired a guard who could get Shaquille O’Neal the ball more often. O'Neal continued to dominate the league in scoring as he averaged 29.3 points per game. The Magic had qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The club finished with a record of 50 wins and 32 losses, which was good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division. ^[1] In the playoffs, the Magic would struggle. The Magic lost their first 2 games at home by a total of 3 points as Shaq's weakness at the free throw line was exposed. In the end, the Magic were swept by the Indiana Pacers in 3 straight. ^[1]

Offseason

• Chris Webber was selected by the Orlando Magic with the first pick of the 1993 NBA Draft, becoming the first sophomore since Magic Johnson to be a #1 overall draft pick. The Magic immediately traded him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Anfernee Hardaway and three future first round draft picks.

NBA Draft

Regular season

• Penny Hardaway started out the season at the shooting guard position while he learned the point guard position from veteran Scott Skiles. By mid-season he took over point guard duties from Skiles. He immediately made an impact on the league, winning the MVP award at the inaugural Schick Rookie Game. Hardaway helped the Magic to their first playoff berth and first fifty-win season. He averaged 16 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds per game while his 190 steals ranked 6th in the league. He recorded his first career triple double on April 15 when he registered 14 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds against the Boston Celtics. For his efforts he was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year to the aforementioned Webber.

Season standings

^[2]

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Playoffs

Lost Eastern Conference First Round to the Indiana Pacers, 3-0

Awards and honors

• Penny Hardaway, MVP, Schick Rookie Game
• Penny Hardaway, NBA All-Rookie First Team

References

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