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The Orlando Magic franchise has had some incredible players play for them over the years. The names include multiple Hall of Famers in Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, and Tracy McGrady. Dwight Howard, one of the best big men of his generation, will also be in the Hall of Fame when his career is up.

The Magic have also made 2 Finals appearances, in 1995 and 2009 thanks to 2 dominant big men in O’Neal and Howard respectively. But which players were the best scorers for the Magic? Some big names such as O’Neal and McGrady might come to mind, but were they the best scorers in Magic history? It is time to rank the top-10 scorers in the history of the Orlando Magic in total PPG, taking into account a minimum of a full season played.

10. Evan Fournier - 16.2 PPG

(7 Seasons, 2015-2021)

Evan Fournier became a starting-caliber player thanks to his time with the Magic. After 2 pedestrian seasons with the Nuggets, the French sharpshooter saw steady increases in his PPG averages over the next 3 seasons. While Fournier never made an All-Star Team, he was an effective scorer.

The shooting guard/small forward would complete 6 full seasons with the Magic, and another 26 games in the 2021 season before getting traded to the Celtics. Fournier’s averages of 16.2 PPG on 45.2% shooting from the field and 37.6% shooting from three are very respectable, and he cracks the top-10 list of Magic scorers.

9. Rashard Lewis - 16.3 PPG

(4 Seasons, 2008-2011)

Rashard Lewis was a bonafide star for the Seattle SuperSonics, averaging 22.4 PPG in his last season with the team. A stretch four with a solid jumper, Lewis was acquired by the Magic before the 2008 season in a major move. Orlando’s acquisition of the forward greatly improved the team, as they would go on to make the Finals in 2009.

Lewis was a solid contributor for the Magic, averaging 16.3 PPG in 3.5 seasons and shooting 39.9% from the three-point line. He also made his second All-Star Team in 2009 and was one of the best players on the Magic team that was built around the interior presence of Dwight Howard.

8. Rony Seikaly - 16.4 PPG

(2 Seasons, 1997-1998)

Rony Seikaly won Most Improved Player in his second NBA season but would see sharp decreases in production by his 8th season in the league. After the Magic acquired the 6’11” center, Seikaly would average a career-high 17.3 PPG on 50.7% shooting from the field.

He would only last 56 games the following season before he was traded away to the New Jersey Nets. Seikaly would go on to average 3.2 PPG for the Nets over the 1.5 seasons there, before retiring from the NBA and playing a season in Spain. Still, the Lebanese big man managed to have a solid spell with the Magic with a 16.4 PPG scoring average.

7. Grant Hill - 16.4 PPG

(6 Seasons, 2001-2007)

Grant Hill was a superstar from the minute he stepped foot on an NBA court, averaging 19.9 PPG in his rookie season while winning Rookie of the Year and making the All-Star Team. 4 more All-Star Team selections later, Hill would suffer injuries that would derail the rest of his career.

After averaging a career-high 25.8 PPG with the Detroit Pistons, Hill was traded to the Magic a season later where he only appeared in 4 games. Once he returned to the court, he was reserved to being a role player in one of the most frustrating situations in NBA history. Hill was effective nonetheless, even when he lost his outward athleticism and explosiveness, and managed to make one more All-Star Team in 2005 with the Magic.

6. Nikola Vucevic - 17.6 PPG

(9 Seasons, 2013-2021)

One of the most loyal stars the Magic ever had, Nikola Vucevic averaged a double-double for 7 seasons out of 9 with the Magic. After an average rookie campaign, the big man blossomed into a starter with the Magic and would average 17.6 PPG and 10.8 RPG over his 7 seasons with the franchise.

As a scoring and rebounding center, Vucevic was exceptional. The only issue was his slow feet on defense, but that did not stop the Swiss-born big man from making 2 All-Star Teams. Vucevic was traded last season as the Magic began a heavy rebuild, but he was one of the best scorers the franchise ever had.

5. Dwight Howard - 18.4 PPG

(8 Seasons, 2005-2012)

Unsurprisingly, Dwight Howard appears in the top-5 list of all-time Magic scorers. Mainly known for his defensive exploits as he won 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards, Howard was also a force on offense. He did not possess Hakeem Olajuwon-like post moves, but as a lob threat and rim-runner, he was exceptional.

The Magic did a phenomenal job building a team of shooters around Howard, and the big man played the best seasons of his career with the team. Dwight would leave the Magic in a very ugly fashion to start the 2013 season, but he is without a doubt one of their best-ever players and a top-5 scorer for them.

4. Penny Hardaway - 19.0 PPG

(6 Seasons, 1994-1999)

In terms of pure watchability and popularity, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway has a case for being one of the greatest players to ever play or the Magic. Blessed with size at 6’7” and unbelievable ball-handling skills, Penny was an offensive force with the Magic between the 1994-1999 seasons.

Making 4 All-Star Teams and 3 All-NBA Teams with the team, Hardaway also formed one of the best little man-big man duos in history with a young Shaquille O’Neal. Penny and Shaq were so good, that they made the Finals together in 1995, the same season the former averaged a career-high 7.2 APG.

3. Steve Francis - 19.4 PPG

(2 Seasons, 2005-2006)

Many remember Steve Francis as a member of the Houston Rockets, where he played the first 5 seasons of his career, but he was a great scoring guard for the Magic during the 2005 season. Francis averaged 21.3 PPG and 7.0 APG with Orlando while playing 38.2 MPG. But the Magic would move on from the All-Star 46 games into the following season.

Francis appeared in 46 games in 2006, averaging 16.2 PPG and 5.7 APG, but he would get traded to the New York Knicks. The 6’3” point guard would see sharp decreases in his production as faded into obscurity, but the 1.5 seasons he played for the Magic were memorable, to say the least.

2. Shaquille O’Neal - 27.2 PPG

(4 Seasons, 1993-1996)

One of the greatest centers ever, Shaquille O’Neal was a force in the NBA by his rookie season. The 1992 No. 1 overall pick won Rookie of the Year averaging 23.4 PPG and 13.9 RPG and would go on to make 4 straight All-Star Teams with the Magic. At 7’1” and over 300 lbs, Shaq was a phenom.

With O’Neal on the squad, the Magic were title contenders and made the NBA Finals in 1995. Shaq would lead the NBA in scoring at 29.3 PPG and shot an incredible 58.3% from the field. There was no answer for O’Neal, except that he would get outplayed by Hakeem Olajuwon in the NBA Finals. O’Neal might have been the greatest player to ever play for the Magic, but one player managed to usurp him as a scorer.

1. Tracy McGrady - 28.1 PPG

(4 Seasons, 2001-2004)

Anytime a shooting guard is mentioned alongside Kobe Bryant, they are already in a special class of players. A prime Tracy McGrady with the Magic between 2001-2004 was going toe-to-toe with Bryant as the best guard in the entire league. T-Mac would win Most Improved Player in his first season with Orlando, averaging 26.8 PPG.

McGrady would then lead the NBA in scoring 2 out of the next 3 seasons with averages of 32.1 PPG and 28.0 PPG. The 6’8” superstar was simply unstoppable and had every tool in the bag from explosive athleticism to a sharp jumper. McGrady could rise and shoot over defenders and was unstoppable when he attacked the rim, making him the greatest scorer in Orlando Magic history.

Most Points In Orlando Magic History

Here are the ten players with the most total points in Orlando Magic history:

1. Dwight Howard - 11,435

2. Nick Anderson - 10,650

3. Nikola Vucevic - 10,423

4. Tracy McGrady - 8,298

5. Jameer Nelson - 8,184

6. Shaquille O'Neal - 8,019

7. Hedo Turkoglu - 7,216

8. Evan Fournier - 7,049

9. Penny Hardaway - 7,018

10. Dennis Scott - 6,603

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This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

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