MILWAUKEE — The Orlando Magic will induct Shaquille O’Neal into the Magic Hall of Fame on March 27 and honor him during an on-court ceremony during a game that night, the team announced today.
Drafted first overall by the Magic in 1992, O’Neal played a total of four seasons for the team.
During his tenure, O’Neal won the 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, made four Eastern Conference All-Star teams and led the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals, where the Magic were swept by Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets.
In 295 regular-season games with the Magic, O’Neal averaged 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game and made 58.1 percent of his shot attempts.
He ranks second in franchise history in rebounds (3,691), blocks (824) and points per game.
O’Neal left the Magic in acrimonious fashion: by signing a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Lakers following the 1995-96 season. Magic fans often booed O’Neal when he returned to Orlando to play, even during the latter stages of his career.
Fans’ bitterness has dissipated somewhat in recent years, however.
O’Neal will become the third member of the Magic Hall of Fame.
Last year, the franchise made franchise co-founder Pat Williams and former player Nick Anderson the inaugural inductees.
After he is inducted on March 27, O’Neal will be honored during that night’s Magic game at Amway Center against the Detroit Pistons.
The Magic don’t plan on inducting anyone else into the Hall of Fame this season, a team official said.
Playing Dedmon
The Magic’s best defensive player these days is Dewayne Dedmon.
Since the Feb. 5 coaching change, the Magic have given up just 92.3 points per 100 possessions when he’s been on the court and 107.6 points per 100 possessions when he’s been on the bench.
So why did Dedmon play only 7 minutes, 42 seconds during the second half of the Magic’s 97-91 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night?
Although he picked up his third foul with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter, foul trouble wasn’t an issue.
Interim Magic coach James Borrego said Dedmon could’ve helped down the stretch, but Borrego added he liked the spacing that Channing Frye provided on offense.
“Channing played well,” Borrego said. “The way they were playing defensively, we needed some space. If we had Dedmon out there, it could’ve been even a tighter court for our guards to play in. We could’ve used him defensively. Sometimes, you’ve just got to make a call, and I thought Channing was shooting the ball well. He was giving us what we needed offensively.”
Frye’s face
On Wednesday, Frye finished with 13 points, four rebounds, a pair of assists and also a red mark on his face underneath and to the right of his right eye.
The injury occurred when Milwaukee’s Michael Carter-Williams swiped at the ball.
“It’s just a scratch,” Frye afterward said to a reporter who was wearing glasses. “I thought he got me in the [eyeball] part. That’s the worst. I would’ve had to wear goggles — no offense. It’s a man scratch. I’m looking like a pirate.”
Layups
* The Magic had Thursday off because they played back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
* Team officials said Evan Fournier, who has a sore right hip, will miss his eighth consecutive game when the Magic face the Boston Celtics on Friday night at TD Garden.
jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.