ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic’s G League team is on the move.
The Magic will relocate their NBA G League affiliate to Kissimmee, Florida, and rebrand it as the Osceola Magic. Welcomed to their new home with open arms, the team will be based out of Osceola Heritage Park with play beginning at Silver Spurs Arena in November 2023.
“We are excited to bring the Magic and NBA G League basketball to Osceola County, Kissimmee and Osceola Heritage Park,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins. “We would like to thank Osceola County Chairwoman Viviana Janer, County Manager Don Fisher and Osceola Heritage Park General Manager Robb Larson in assisting us in making this move a reality. We look forward to being an invested community partner in Kissimmee and Osceola County.”
The move brings the team closer to downtown Orlando and the organization’s parent club.
During the 2022-23 campaign, seven members of the Orlando Magic – R.J. Hampton (who’s now with the Detroit Pistons), Kevon Harris, Caleb Houstan, Jonathan Isaac, Chuma Okeke, Admiral Schofield, and Jay Scrubb – spent time with the team’s G League affiliate.
With that distance now less than a 30-minute drive, it’ll make it even more convenient for the franchise to have developing or rehabbing players do stints in the G League.
“We want to build a team here that Osceola can be proud of, that’s about winning and that’s about the right stuff,” said Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. “In order to leverage all of those different touch points, proximity matters greatly. This is going to be a game changer for us.”
Orlando had plenty of G League success stories this season alone. Whether it was Isaac’s three-game rehab stint before making his highly anticipated NBA return or Schofield being rewarded with a standard contract after two-way play, the team has seen firsthand the value of their G League franchise.
And they’re not alone. This past season, 49 G League players earned NBA Call-Ups, and the league saw its 900th Call-Up of all-time, as well as its 700th different player called up since the league was established in 2001. Throughout the NBA season, at least 54 percent of players on NBA rosters had G League experience, with that number reaching as high as 58 percent during 2022-23 play.
“It’s a great way for us to send all of our young players, our rehabbing veteran players, (and) guys that we’re interested in to get indoctrinated into the Magic way,” said Weltman. “As I alluded to before, the cross-pollination and the connectivity organizationally is from the ground up, so that when we drop the players in, they’re getting the Orlando Magic experience in Osceola.”
The Magic head to Osceola after having created a number of exciting memories in Lakeland. Without a doubt, the pinnacle moment came when the organization captured the franchise’s first ever G League championship with a win over the Delaware Blue Coats in the title game at Disney on March 11, 2021.
Devin Cannady, who later signed a standard contract with Orlando, was named the Finals MVP for his phenomenal 22-point performance in the victory.
The organization now sets its sights on creating memories like that for fans in Osceola.
“We had five great years (in Lakeland),” said Martins. “The opportunity presented itself and Osceola was very aggressive about trying to get us to come here. I think this is going to be another positive step in the right direction for our G League product and for the organization as a whole.”
Along with bringing an on-the-court product, the Magic will look to increase their impact on the Osceola community.
“You have to do good before you do well,” said Larson. “The Orlando Magic and the DeVos family, everything that they do for the Central Florida community is second to none. They continue to do so. Last week alone, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (gave out multiple grants to charitable organizations in Osceola).”
Just as they do in Orlando, the Magic will aim to be champions on and off the court in Osceola as well.