Orlando, Fla. (January 13, 2014) -- In continuation of the Orlando Magic’s 25th anniversary season-long celebration the team will honor former Magic great, Horace Grant, at the Magic’s January 17 matchup vs. the Charlotte Bobcats, tip-off set for 7 p.m.
The night will feature a center court presentation at the end of the first quarter. Grant will join FOX Sports Florida’s broadcasts including Magic Live pregame show with hosts Paul Kennedy and Nick Anderson and join broadcasters David Steele and Jeff Turner for a portion of the game broadcast.
He will also be featured on Magic Drive Time radio show with host Dante Marchitelli pregame at 5:30 p.m. on 740 The Game. In addition, the first 2,500 fans will receive a collectible 8x10 photo featuring Grant and Kyle O’Quinn. Grant will be available to the media at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 in the Amway Center interview room.
“Legends Nights” is an on-going program which will honor former players/legends throughout the Magic’s Silver Season. Past honorees include Tracy McGrady, Nick Anderson, Pat Williams, Jimmy Hewitt, Dennis Scott and Pat Garrity. In addition to the Magic’s “Legends Nights,” the 2013-14 season will feature the Silver Ticket Sweepstakes and Scratch Off Promotion, special appearances, game entertainment and other events throughout the season.
Grant was originally drafted in the first round (10th overall) of the 1987 NBA Draft by Chicago out of Clemson University. He left the Bulls as a free agent in 1994 to join the Magic and played six plus years for Orlando from 1994-99 and 2001-03.
Grant appeared in 411 regular season games for the Magic, the eighth-most in franchise history. While with the Magic, he averaged 11.3 ppg., 8.3 rpg., 2.1 apg. and 1.0 bpg. in 34.6 mpg., and was twice selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1994-95, 1995-96). In addition to finishing eighth all-time in games played with Orlando, Grant ranks on the Magic’s all-time franchise list in rebounds (3,353, fourth), blocked shots (415, fourth), minutes played (14,233, sixth) and steals (426, eighth).
The 25 years of Magic basketball have seen great success for a relatively young franchise including five division championships (1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010), seven 50-plus win seasons and Eastern Conference titles in 1995 and 2009. In addition to its on-the-court success, the team gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise, scholarships and grants. Including more than $18 million distributed to local nonprofit community organizations through the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation and the Orlando Magic Youth Fund (OMYF-MFF), a McCormick Foundation Fund since 1994.
Orlando Magic community relations programs annually impact an estimated 100,000 kids each year, while the OMYF-MFF has positively impacted more than 1 million children. The Magic Volunteer Program (MVP), an organizational staff-wide initiative, provides more than 6,000 community volunteer hours per year.
Ticket highlights for the Magic's 2013-14 Silver Season in the Amway Center, honored with TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ 2013 Customer Experience Award and named SportsBusiness Journal's 2012 Sports Facility of the Year, include: 2,500 seats priced $20 or less, 8,000 seats priced $40 or less and 9,000 seats priced $50 or under. For ticket information log on to www.orlandomagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.