Hoops Habit
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Orlando Magic: 10 stars you forgot played for the Magic

By Luke Duffy

CHICAGO, UNITED STATES: Rod Strickland (C) of the Washington Bullets falls in front of Scottie Pippen (L) and Steve Kerr (R) of the Chicago Bulls 27 April during the first half of game two of their first round playoff game at the United Center in Chicago, IL. AFP PHOTO Jeff HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, UNITED STATES: Rod Strickland (C) of the Washington Bullets falls in front of Scottie Pippen (L) and Steve Kerr (R) of the Chicago Bulls 27 April during the first half of game two of their first round playoff game at the United Center in Chicago, IL. AFP PHOTO Jeff HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Orlando Magic (Photo credit should read TONY RANZE/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. Patrick Ewing

Again perhaps generational, and the fact he ended up as an assistant coach with the Magic for five years certainly strengthens the link between player and team. But Mr. New York Knick himself, Patrick Ewing, did suit up for the Magic, and as a 39-year-old no less. If Strickland was washed, then Ewing was in an even worse place by the time he got to Orlando.

Countless wars in a Knicks uniform had taken their toll on his body, and as an 11-time All-Star the miles were well and truly on the clock. Ewing managed 65 games, starting four of them, but more telling was the 13.9 minutes he averaged per game. It was sad to see fellow centers Steven Hunter (21) and Andrew DeClercq (14) get more starts than Ewing.

In keeping with the theme of funky rosters for the organization at that time, this was one that featured Ewing alongside McGrady, Miller, Horace Grant, Bo Outlaw and Jackson Sr. (perhaps he should have been more than an honorable mention after all?). Grant Hill and Monty Williams were there too.

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They made the playoffs, losing in round one to the Charlotte Hornets, which is why it wasn’t all bad for Ewing. He bowed out of the league proper in the postseason, appearing in all four of those contests. Earlier in the regular season he also had 22 points and played over 30 minutes in a one-point win over the Suns.

But to see him play for the Magic, or anybody else other than the Knicks, was weird. It was also kind of sad too, in much the same way his previous season with the Supersonics was before he got to Orlando. Again the fact he went on to be an assistant coach for so long with the organization makes this seem more normal and less easy to forget. But it really wasn’t.

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