Magic
Orlando
![Remember that time Michael Jordan wore No. 12?](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/381e58a67b823d9ca9728e1fdb50c80d.png)
Remember that time Michael Jordan wore No. 12?
Michael Jordan is synonymous with the No. 23. Sure, he wore 45 when he returned with the Washington Wizards, but he always had the same jersey number with the Chicago Bulls — except for a lone game against the Orlando Magic 34 years ago today. ...
![A playoff game for the top pick in the NFL Draft sounds good — until you remember that human beings would be participating in it](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/2a4c54c1351c9f7d843a050e8f4f2031.jpg)
A playoff game for the top pick in the NFL Draft sounds good — until you remember that human beings would be participating in it
Professional athletes play sports for two reasons: They play to make money and to win games. There is no other incentive necessary, or that would even work, to get the maximum effort out of players. And what would certainly be a terrible idea, is adding a “playoff game,” in which the result is the w...
![Youth is wasted on the young, unless you are these NBA teams](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/7a78bc90c6da2bf00672feea1ca75629.jpg)
Youth is wasted on the young, unless you are these NBA teams
So, who has the hottest young talent in the league? We’re analyzing the five teams who have built the best through the draft across positions and skill sets. No room for wannabes here – gotta be 25 or below to even join the party. We’re also looking for impact players, not DNPs, with dreams bigger t...
![Don’t let the In-Season tourney distract you from Orlando and Minnesota](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/736b48bda85ac2d193466badb968bd18.jpg)
Don’t let the In-Season tourney distract you from Orlando and Minnesota
The story of this early NBA season in the In-Season Tournament for no other reason than the league wants to cram it down our throats. However, this is not another diatribe about that mockery of a cup. That’s been done, so allow me to present to you the real stories at the quarter-ish mark of the sea...
![If players on the Orlando Magic had heart they’d kneel during the national anthem — again](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/aa3e63dbe98244b651b5e9d085fb7758.jpg)
If players on the Orlando Magic had heart they’d kneel during the national anthem — again
Jonathan Isaac being one of only two members left (Markelle Fultz) from the Orlando Magic’s roster from their time in the 2020 Bubble is irony at its finest. It speaks to the high amount of turnover that occurs in the league, as well as being an example of just how fast the “Black Lives Matter” move...
![Disney-sponsored Orlando Magic say $50k donation to Ron DeSantis' PAC came before presidential bid [Update]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/b3603fb90aecd1832bb1a38e66b05618.jpg)
Disney-sponsored Orlando Magic say $50k donation to Ron DeSantis' PAC came before presidential bid [Update]
Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have been engaged in a blood feud for more than a year. On Tuesday DeSantis’ self-appointed governing board of the Walt Disney World district in Orlando dismantled all of the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in it. In February, Disney decided to canc...
![NBA needs to up the ante with its international game slate](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/640d787421ce6c9518ef4388cee73621.jpg)
NBA needs to up the ante with its international game slate
What happens when a seventh seed and a 13th seed meet on a basketball court in a country that doesn’t have an NBA franchise? Who knows, but we’re going to find out....
![Frank Vogel is an upgrade over Monty Williams — for a discount price](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/fe934b9352d0865cd01300ab714f9261.jpg)
Frank Vogel is an upgrade over Monty Williams — for a discount price
A year after getting unceremoniously released through the trap door LeBron James has designed into the floor beneath the head coach’s seat on the bench, Frank Vogel has re-emerged as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. The 49-year-old Vogel and the Phoenix Suns are familiar with each other’s games. ...
![Phoenix Suns hiring Frank Vogel to succeed Monty Williams](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/725f76926c8a8855e548e6f17547f1ec.jpg)
Phoenix Suns hiring Frank Vogel to succeed Monty Williams
The Phoenix Suns plan to hire Frank Vogel as their next coach, according to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski....
![Is Doc Rivers about to squeeze his way into another primo job with the Phoenix Suns?](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/a613d7a5895a4004b56fa9959a1a135c.jpg)
Is Doc Rivers about to squeeze his way into another primo job with the Phoenix Suns?
Anytime an upper-echelon NBA team is in need of fixing, you can always bet there will be a basketball exec standing over their roster bellowing for a Doc in the house. He’ll give your team a tracheotomy when you were just choking on a bone, but for the umpteenth time, Doc Rivers is in a position to ...
![These 10 NBA teams have the brightest futures](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/ae6559c99ce36764a2bab2fa4160e7f3.jpg)
These 10 NBA teams have the brightest futures
There are many elements to consider when predicting who will succeed in the future of the NBA. To tank the 10 teams with the brightest futures, we focused on three to five years in the future while thinking about each team’s draft capital, promising young players, cap flexibility, and free agent des...
![These are the top 10 young cores in the NBA right now](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/f030123d07e4312c22be2e1a77db808d.jpg)
These are the top 10 young cores in the NBA right now
The “middle class” of the NBA is slowly eroding. Surprisingly, it’s not totally a bad thing. Almost every team has a talented young core with potential, raising parity within the NBA. Even the teams at the bottom of the standings have enough young players to have something to look forward to in two ...
![Jacque Vaughn is Brooklyn’s next man up or their next sacrificial lamb](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/45738a0b049258ad954407614435aa49.jpg)
Jacque Vaughn is Brooklyn’s next man up or their next sacrificial lamb
Mere hours before a nationally televised matchup against the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets opted for a semblance of stability, or at least a stable shoulder to lean on, when they removed the interim tag from assistant coach Jacque Vaughn’s title....
![Ten players that teams in the 'Lose-O-Rama for Wembanyama' should ship](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/e3d7497c142b29fe88acacde21c66d28.jpg)
Ten players that teams in the 'Lose-O-Rama for Wembanyama' should ship
After the matchup between Victor Wembanyama’s Metropolitans and Scoot Henderson’s G League Ignite teams earlier this month, where the projected No. 1 and No. 2 picks faced off in must-see-TV, half the NBA should have shifted into full-on tank mode. Why meddle in mediocrity if you’re the Orlando Magi...
![The NBA’s tanking problem is more perception than reality, and a relegation system won’t fix that](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/c25b5c95ea3240ce486079fe7611af3a.jpg)
The NBA’s tanking problem is more perception than reality, and a relegation system won’t fix that
During NBA Commish Adam Silver’s apology tour session with beleaguered Phoenix Suns employees this weekend, he was confronted with another concern. In addition to apologizing for suspended team Governor Robert Sarver and his decades of misconduct, Silver was also besieged by a flood of questions abo...
![Jabari Smith could put Orlando back on the right track](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/6e830444b9b9d30c31384ae80b584782.jpg)
Jabari Smith could put Orlando back on the right track
The Orlando Magic seems to have finally figured it out. Since Dwight Howard left in the clumsiest way possible in 2012, the franchise has been mired in mediocrity. They have been the poster child for the dreaded NBA purgatory. Since Howard’s departure, they’ve made the playoffs twice, losing in the ...
![How the 2022 NBA Draft will go — Lottery Edition](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200/8ae5534e71cf43a28c73cd8c4052acb3.jpg)
How the 2022 NBA Draft will go — Lottery Edition
Last year’s draft is already looking like an all-time great. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t gems to be had in the 2022 NBA Draft. Analysts have said this is a four-person draft. But with the league experiencing greater parity than it has in the last two decades, the need for high-impact rol...