The Orlando Magic have been a part of the NBA since 1989 with a lot of ups and downs throughout that time. Even though they’ve been around for over three decades, Orlando is still one of the younger franchises in the league today. Magic fans have been hoping to win their first title, but there have been many interesting things to come without a ring.

RELATED: 10 Best Players In Orlando Magic History

The franchise has been home to a handful of legendary talents that ranged from Hall of Famers to legends to role players. Any player to thrive in Orlando likely still has great appreciation from the Magic fan base. A less celebrated history than most other teams shouldn’t stop the discussion. NBA fans should know these things about Orlando’s basketball franchise history.

10 Had Four First Overall Draft Picks With Huge Hype

Paolo Banchero
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Most fan bases dream of winning the top overall draft pick in the NBA Draft Lottery. Every team to miss the playoffs will have a chance unless they’ve traded their pick to another team. The Orlando Magic struck gold with four lotteries won with noteworthy results.

RELATED: The Worst 1st Overall Draft Picks In NBA History

Shaquille O’Neal was their first pick of those four in 1992 and became an all-time great. Orlando won it in 1993, but they drafted top prospect Chris Webber to trade for Penny Hardaway. Dwight Howard was next in 2004 coming out of high school. The most recent Paolo Banchero already looks like a star to give them four great scenarios all unfolding.

9 The Only Team To Eliminate Michael Jordan Between Threepeats

Shaquille O'Neal Dunks

© RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest accomplishments for the title-less Orlando Magic franchise came in 1995 NBA Playoffs. Michael Jordan had just returned from his retirement to play baseball after sitting out a season and a half from the Chicago Bulls.

The hope was that Jordan could still lead them to a title, but Orlando ended up eliminating them in the second round. This was the only time any team eliminated Jordan in a playoff season after he won his first NBA Championship in 1991.

8 Orlando's Best Winning Season Ended With Michael Jordan's Revenge

Michael Jordan
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY

The Orlando Magic celebrated when they defeated the Chicago Bulls, but they fell short in the 1995 NBA Finals. Things looked promising the next season when Orlando set a franchise record for their best regular season record of 60-22.

The problem was that the Bulls set a then-all-time NBA record with 72 wins. A highly anticipated rematch came in the Eastern Conference Finals saw Michael Jordan getting the ultimate revenge. Chicago swept Orlando, and Jordan averaged 30 points in Shaquille O’Neal’s final season before leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers.

7 Dwight Howard Has Every Defensive Player Of The Year Award In Franchise History

Dwight Howard at WWE tryout
via: wwe.com

The Orlando Magic franchise is tied for the fourth most Defensive Player Awards in franchise history. However, they are also the only franchise on that short list to have them all coming from one single player while he played there.

Dwight Howard won all three of his Defensive Player of the Year Awards for Orlando in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Many fans forget that Howard was once dominant enough to be the only player to win that award three consecutive seasons.

6 Nick Anderson's Free Throw Shooting Fell Apart After NBA Finals Disaster

Nick Anderson

The biggest “what if” in Orlando Magic history goes back to the infamous night of Nick Anderson collapsing. Orlando’s respected guard just had to hit one of four free throws to clinch Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. Anderson missed four in a row, and the Houston Rockets tied the game on the next possession with a three-pointer to extend it to overtime.

Houston won the game and swept Orlando despite being the favorite. However, the story grew wilder, as Anderson’s free throw shooting grew worse after he lost his confidence. Anderson shot 69% and 40% the next few seasons never getting back to 70%+ shooting.

5 Dwight Howard Technically Led Them Further Than Shaquille O'Neal

Shaq Dwight Howard

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The rivalry between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard in the media saw them both exchanging barbs throughout the years. Shaq clearly didn’t like a new center using his old Superman nickname while also playing for a franchise he helped get off the ground.

RELATED: Kobe Bryant Vs Shaquille O'Neal: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Their Rivalry

However, Howard can hold one thing over O’Neal when looking back at their Magic stints. Shaq never won a game in the NBA Finals during his one time getting there for Orlando. Howard at least took one game in the 2009 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers as the Magic’s highest peak.

4 Scott Skiles Set NBA Record With 30 Assists In Game For Orlando

Scott Skiles
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Orlando Magic witnessed arguably their greatest performer coming from the most unlikely players all the way back in their second season in the league. Point guard Scott Skiles never made an All-Star Game and ended his career with modest career averages of 11.1 points and 6.5 assists per game.

However, one night in 1990 saw Skiles putting up a historic game with a record 30 assists. Skiles had an all-time great game with 22 points and 30 assists against the Denver Nuggets. John Stockton putting up 28 assists is the closest anyone has come since that night to matching it.

3 Tracy McGrady Is Only Player To Score 60+ Points In A Single Game

Tracy McGrady

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The shocking move of Tracy McGrady joining the Orlando Magic changed both parties moving forward. McGrady got his first chance to show star potential and became one of the best offensive players of his generation. Orlando also became exciting to watch for the first time since Shaq left and Penny Hardaway suffered injuries.

McGrady easily holds the Magic’s record for the most points scored in a single game with 62 against the Washington Wizards. The record sees him a full nine points above second place when Shaquille O’Neal scored 53 points in 1994.

2 Dwight Howard Has Franchise Career Points Record

Dwight Howard Orlando

© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It has become harder for recent players to set franchise all-time scoring records since few names stick around long enough with one team. Dwight Howard spending eight seasons with the Orlando Magic saw him setting their current franchise record.

Orlando sees Howard at the top of the leaderboard for most franchise points at 11,435 points. Nick Anderson saw his previous record of 10,650 points passed by Howard. Fans may expect Tracy McGrady or Shaquille O’Neal in the top two, but neither spent a long enough time to reach that accolade.

1 Tied For Total Most Improved Player Of The Year Award Winners

Hedo Turkoglu

© Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

A cool accomplishment for the Orlando Magic is currently being tied for the most total Most Improved Player Awards in franchise history. The Indiana Pacers are the other team tied with them for five total winners, but Orlando had a more varied list of players.

Scott Skiles, Darrell Armstrong, Tracy McGrady, Hedo Turkoglu, and Ryan Anderson each won the award as a member of the Magic franchise. McGrady was the only one of those names to make the jump to All-Star and superstar status, but everyone won it just the same for improving from their previous roles.