Shaquille O’Neal will become the first Orlando Magic player to have his jersey retired.
On Thursday (Jan. 4), Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins surprised the 51-year-old through a fake FaceTime video call during an episode of “Inside The NBA,” alongside co-hosts Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith.
“I hear you’ve been waiting for a phone call from us, and the wait is over,” Martins began. “On behalf of the DeVos family, and myself, and all of us here at the Orlando Magic, we want to congratulate you as we make you the first jersey number retired in the history of the Orlando Magic. You had a great career here — at the beginning of your career — and we had some great times. You took us all the way to the NBA Finals, and it’s finally time to put that number in the rafters.”
Back in June of 2023, Shaq posted an Instagram video of himself freestyling in a Home Depot. In a verse, he could be heard sending a message to his former team. “Should write a book ’bout every step on my way up the ladder/ Came out the mud, it was an ugly chapter/ I don’t even show up at your fancy parties/ If you see me hanging out, it’s off the f**kin’ rafters/ Only baller to go f**kin’ platinum/ If you count my points and rebounds, quadruple platinum/ Got two retired jerseys in two different cities/ I’m still waiting on that call from the Orlando Magic…” he rapped.