Shaquille O'Neal Expresses Interest In Becoming Owner Of Orlando Magic

There was a time back in the 1990s where the city of Orlando, Florida, was known for nothing but Walt Disney World.

In some respects, you could say the same in the current day. Often times, the Magic can feel like a non-priority in their own city, as they did 30 years ago. That is, until, a 7-foot-1 center out of LSU showed up and put the NBA franchise on the map.

And 30 years almost to the day he was taken first overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Magic, Shaquille O'Neal could be looking to provide a jolt to Orlando once more -- albeit off the court. Speaking recently on The Big Podcast, O'Neal said he is open to becoming owner of the Magic some day.

"Listen we still run that franchise . If they wanna sell it to us, DeVos family, we're ready to go right now," O'Neal said, via Jeremy Brener of The Magic Insider. "This message to go out to the DeVos family, if you're ready to sell Orlando Magic, sell it to somebody who's gonna take it to the next level, that's us. D Scott and then, D Scott can pick everybody else.

"Smart people combined with common sense people and people that's been there before, you can't go wrong."

(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Although his tenure in Orlando lasted just four seasons, O'Neal is one of the greatest players in the franchise's history. Along with Scott, Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson and Horace Grant, O'Neal led the Magic to their first NBA Finals appearance in 1995.

The DeVos family currently owns the Magic, as they've done since 1991. They haven't shown much interest in selling the team -- even after Amway co-founder Richard DeVos passed away in 2018. O'Neal was previously a minority owner for the Kings, before selling his stake in January.