1991–92 Orlando Magic season

The 1991–92 Orlando Magic season was the third season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The city of Orlando, Florida hosted the NBA All-Star weekend at the Orlando Arena this season, which featured the 1992 NBA All-Star Game.^[2]

After playing in the Midwest Division in the Western Conference the previous season, the Magic returned to the Eastern Conference, and moved into the Atlantic Division this season. The team received the tenth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft, and selected center Brian Williams from the University of Arizona, and also selected center Stanley Roberts out of Louisiana State University with the 23rd overall pick.^[3][4][5] In December, the team signed free agent Anthony Bowie, then later on signed Sean Higgins at mid-season.

With the addition of Williams and Roberts, the Magic got off to a fast start by winning their first three games of the regular season, but then lost eight of their next eleven games, leading to a 6–8 start at the end of November. The team soon struggled by posting a dreadful 17-game losing streak between December and January, while suffering a winless month in December losing all 15 games that month, and later on held a 12–36 record at the All-Star break.^[6] Second-year star Dennis Scott only played just 18 games due to a right leg injury, which included an inflamed tendon that stretched from his hip to his knee, as he later on underwent season-ending knee surgery;^[7][8][9] meanwhile, Nick Anderson only played 60 games due to two broken bones near his right eye, after being punched at a rap concert at the Orlando Arena in February.^[10][11][12] The Magic posted a seven-game losing streak between February and March, and finished in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 21–61 record.^[13]

Anderson averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while Scott also averaged 19.9 points per game, and Terry Catledge provided the team with 14.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. In addition, Bowie contributed 14.6 points per game, while Scott Skiles provided with 12.1 points and 7.3 assists per game, Jerry Reynolds averaged 12.1 points per game in 46 games, and Sam Vincent contributed 10.5 points and 3.8 assists per game in 39 games. Meanwhile, Roberts averaged 10.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in 55 games, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Williams provided with 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 49 games, Higgins contributed 8.6 points per game in 32 games, Jeff Turner averaged 7.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, and Otis Smith contributed 5.6 points per game. On the defensive side, Greg Kite averaged 3.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and Mark Acres provided with 3.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.^[14]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Anderson participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[15][16] The Magic finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 621,191 at the Orlando Arena during the regular season.^[14][17] Following the season, Roberts was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade,^[18][19][20] while Vincent was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks,^[21][22] and Reynolds, Smith and Acres were all released to free agency.