1996–97 Orlando Magic season
NBA professional basketball team season
The 1996–97 Orlando Magic season was the eighth season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association.
Season summary
Off-season
After losing All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal via free agency to the Los Angeles Lakers during the off-season, the Magic acquired Felton Spencer from the Utah Jazz, and signed free agents Gerald Wilkins, Derek Strong, and Danny Schayes. However, after only playing just one game for the team, Spencer was then traded along with Donald Royal, and Jon Koncak to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Rony Seikaly.
Regular season
Early into the regular season, the Magic traveled overseas to Tokyo, Japan to play two games against the New Jersey Nets at the Tokyo Dome. In the first game on November 7, 1996, the Magic were the road team and defeated the Nets by a score of 108–85; Penny Hardaway led the team with 23 points, while Wilkins scored 18 points off the bench. In the second game on November 8, the Magic were the home team and defeated the Nets by a score of 86–82; Hardaway led the team with 29 points, while Horace Grant finished with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. Each game recorded an attendance of 38,639 at the Tokyo Dome.
With the addition of Seikaly, Wilkins and Strong, the Magic got off to an 8–4 start to the regular season in November, but then struggled losing ten of their twelve games in December, falling below .500 in winning percentage with a 10–16 record at the end of the month. However, the team won 11 of their 15 games in January, and later on held a 24–20 record at the All-Star break. The team posted a five-game losing streak after the All-Star break, as head coach Brian Hill was fired 49 games into the season, and Hardaway was generally blamed for leading a player revolt that resulted in his dismissal; Hill was replaced with assistant coach Richie Adubato as an interim coach for the remainder of the season.
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