The Osceola Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Kissimmee, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season as the Lakeland Magic, and now play their home games at the Silver Spurs Arena.
| Osceola Magic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Eastern |
| League | NBA G League |
| Founded | 2008 |
| History | Erie BayHawks 2008–2017 Lakeland Magic 2017–2023 Osceola Magic 2023–present |
| Arena | Silver Spurs Arena |
| Location | Kissimmee, Florida |
| Team colors | Blue, black, silver[1][2] |
| Team manager | Adetunji Adedipe |
| Head coach | Dylan Murphy |
| Ownership | Orlando Magic |
| Affiliation(s) | Orlando Magic |
| Championships | 1 (2021) |
| Division titles | 1 (2019) |
| Website | osceola |
The franchise was previously based in Erie, Pennsylvania, and known as the Erie BayHawks until their move to Lakeland in 2018. The franchise was known as the Lakeland Magic until April 11, 2023, when the Orlando Magic announced that the team would move to Kissimmee beginning in November 2023 and be renamed the Osceola Magic.
History
editErie BayHawks (2008–2017)
edit
The Erie BayHawks were established in 2008 as an expansion team in the NBA Development League (D-League), originally affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers. The "BayHawks" name alluded to the Presque Isle Bay, on which the city of Erie lies. The hawk represents the city's wildlife and naval history, especially because hawks were used by naval expeditions to send important messages. The team's colors of black, red, and gold paid homage to the Erie-based Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and to the United States Navy uniforms worn during the War of 1812.[3] The team was affiliated with the Toronto Raptors from 2009 to 2011. The team home court was Erie Insurance Arena.
The affiliation with the Cavaliers lasted until 2011 when Cleveland obtained their own affiliate in the Canton Charge. The BayHawks then affiliated with the New York Knicks. Under the Knicks' affiliation, the BayHawks made headlines on January 17, 2012, when Jeremy Lin was assigned to the team.[4] On January 20, he had a triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in the BayHawks' 122–113 victory over the Maine Red Claws.[5] Lin was recalled by the Knicks three days later.[6] In December 2012, the Knicks assigned NBA veteran Amar'e Stoudemire to the BayHawks because of an injury.[7]
In 2012, the Knicks offered the BayHawks head coach position to Patrick Ewing, one of their most prominent alumni. However, he turned down the offer citing his desire to coach in the National Basketball Association as opposed to the D-League. Ewing has worked as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic.[8]
In 2014, the Knicks ended their affiliation with Erie in favor of starting an expansion D-League franchise, the Westchester Knicks, forcing the BayHawks to find a new affiliate.[9] In April 2014, the BayHawks entered talks for a hybrid relationship with the Orlando Magic[10] and a deal was announced May 19, 2014.[11]
Lakeland Magic (2017–2023)
edit
In January 2016, the Magic announced their intentions to have their own D-League team in Florida, but stated that it would be an expansion team and not a relocation of the Erie BayHawks.[12] In the original January 6, 2016, announcement, it was announced that the Orlando Magic was seeking to place a D-League team in Florida; the eight initial candidate venues were: Bay Lake (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex), Daytona Beach (Ocean Center), Estero (Germain Arena), Fort Myers (Lee Civic Center), Jacksonville (Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena), Kissimmee (Silver Spurs Arena), Lakeland (Lakeland Center), and Orlando (CFE Arena).[12] On February 17, the Magic narrowed their choices down to Bay Lake, Jacksonville, Lakeland, and Kissimmee.[13] On June 30, the Magic named Kissimmee and Lakeland as the two finalists.[14]
However, in December 2016, the Magic announced that they had purchased the BayHawks' franchise and that they would be relocating it to Lakeland, Florida, for the 2017–18 season, becoming the seventeenth NBA team to own a D-League franchise.[15] They would also build a practice facility in nearby Winter Haven.[16][17] On April 12, 2017, it was announced that the team would be named the Lakeland Magic.[18] On August 8, 2017, Stan Heath was named as the head coach and Anthony Parker as the general manager.[19]
In response to the purchase, the BayHawks' local management and former owners also announced that they were attempting to secure another franchise to replace the now Magic-owned BayHawks franchise to play in Erie.[20] In January 2017, it was announced that the Atlanta Hawks would temporarily place their D-League affiliate in Erie for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons under the operations of the former BayHawks management as a new BayHawks team.[21] The Atlanta Hawks had already announced their intentions of placing their D-League franchise in College Park, Georgia, for the 2019–20 season.[22] Before the 2017–18 season, the league rebranded to the NBA G League via a sponsorship with Gatorade.
The Magic won the league championship in the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season in 2021. Head coach Heath won coach of the year and then took the head coaching position with the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Associate coach Joe Barrer was then named his replacement.[23] Anthony Parker was promoted to assistant general manager in Orlando and Adetunji Adedipe was promoted to general manager in October 2021 after serving as an assistant manager since 2017 and working for the Magic organization since 2015.[24]
Osceola Magic (2023–present)
edit
On April 11, 2023, the Orlando Magic announced they would be relocating their G League affiliate to Osceola in order to be closer to Orlando.[25] The team will be based out of Osceola Heritage Park and play at Silver Spurs Arena.[26][25]
Season by season
edit| Season | Conference | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie BayHawks | |||||||
| 2008–09 | — | Central | 3rd | 27 | 23 | .540 | Lost First Round (Colorado) 108–129 |
| 2009–10 | Eastern | — | 6th | 21 | 29 | .420 | |
| 2010–11 | Eastern | — | 2nd | 32 | 18 | .640 | Lost First Round (Reno) 1–2 |
| 2011–12 | Eastern | — | 3rd | 28 | 22 | .560 | Lost First Round (Austin) 1–2 |
| 2012–13 | Eastern | — | 4th | 26 | 24 | .520 | |
| 2013–14 | — | Eastern | 5th | 16 | 34 | .320 | |
| 2014–15 | Eastern | Atlantic | 3rd | 24 | 26 | .480 | |
| 2015–16 | Eastern | Atlantic | 5th | 12 | 38 | .240 | |
| 2016–17 | Eastern | Atlantic | 6th | 14 | 36 | .280 | |
| Lakeland Magic | |||||||
| 2017–18 | Eastern | Southeast | 2nd | 28 | 22 | .560 | Lost First Round (Erie) 90–96 |
| 2018–19 | Eastern | Southeast | 1st | 32 | 18 | .640 | Won Conf. Semifinal (Westchester) 104–91 Lost Conf. Final (Long Island) 106–108 |
| 2019–20 | Eastern | Southeast | 1st | 25 | 17 | .595 | Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | — | — | 6th | 9 | 6 | .600 | Won Quarterfinal (Erie) 139–110 Won Semifinal (Santa Cruz) 108–96 Won Championship (Delaware) 97–78 |
| 2021–22 | Eastern | — | 12th | 11 | 21 | .344 | |
| 2022–23 | Eastern | — | 8th | 18 | 14 | .563 | |
| Osceola Magic | |||||||
| 2023–24 | Eastern | — | 1st | 22 | 12 | .647 | Semifinals (TBD) |
| Totals | |||||||
| 345 | 360 | .489 | Regular season record | ||||
| 6 | 7 | .462 | Postseason record | ||||
Current roster
edit| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roster |
Head coaches
edit| # | Head coach | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Achievements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | Win% | G | W | L | Win% | ||||
| 1 | John Treloar | 2008–2010 | 100 | 48 | 52 | .480 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| 2 | Jay Larranaga | 2010–2012 | 100 | 60 | 40 | .600 | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | |
| 3 | Gene Cross | 2012–2014 | 100 | 42 | 58 | .420 | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 | Bill Peterson | 2014–2017 | 150 | 50 | 100 | .333 | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 | Stan Heath | 2017–2021 | 157 | 94 | 63 | .599 | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 | Won 2021 Championship |
| 6 | Joe Barrer | 2021–2023 | 64 | 29 | 35 | .453 | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 | Dylan Murphy | 2023–present | – | – | – | – | — | — | — | — | |
High points
editIndividual awards
editNBADL All-Rookie Second Team
edit- Tasmin Mitchell - 2011
Payton Siva
All-NBADL First Team
edit- Erik Daniels - 2009
- Ivan Johnson - 2011
All-NBADL Third Team
edit- Alade Aminu - 2010 [a]
NBADL All-Defensive Second Team
edit- Ivan Johnson - 2011
All-Star Weekend
editAll-Star Game
edit- Erik Daniels - 2009
- Alade Aminu - 2010
- Ivan Johnson - 2011
- Garrett Temple - 2011
- Seth Curry - 2015
NBA affiliates
editErie BayHawks (2008–2017)
edit- Cleveland Cavaliers (2008–2011)
- New York Knicks (2011–2014)
- Orlando Magic (2014–2017)
- Philadelphia 76ers (2008–2009)
- Toronto Raptors (2009–2011)
Lakeland Magic (2017–2023)
edit- Orlando Magic (2017–2023)
Osceola Magic (2023–present)
edit- Orlando Magic (2023–present)
See also
edit- College Park Skyhawks, second basketball team that assumed the Erie BayHawks name following this team's relocation to Lakeland
- Birmingham Squadron, third basketball franchise to use the Erie BayHawks' name
Notes
edit[a] Alade Aminu was traded to the Bakersfield Jam after 37 games with the BayHawks.
References
edit- ^ Cohen, Josh (April 12, 2017). "And the Winner is….Lakeland Magic!". Lakeland.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ "Osceola Magic Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ^ "BayHawks Selected as Name for Erie's New NBA Development League Basketball Team". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- ^ "Knicks Send Two Bench Warmers to D-League". The New York Times. January 17, 2012. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Lin Picks Up Triple-Double As Erie Drops Maine 122–113". NBA. January 20, 2012. Archived from the original on January 23, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ^ "Knicks Recall Jordan & Lin". NBA. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
- ^ "Knicks assign Stoudemire to BayHawks". Erie Times-News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- ^ "Ewing rejects Knicks' offer to coach D-League club". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- ^ "Knicks seek to relocate D-League affiliation from Erie". Erie Times-News. Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
- ^ "Orlando Magic get D-League affiliate in Erie BayHawks". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- ^ "Magic and BayHawks Enter Single Affiliation Partnership Team". Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- ^ a b Robbins, Josh (January 6, 2016). "Orlando Magic begin process of bringing D-League team to Florida". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ Robbins, Josh (February 17, 2016). "Magic will choose among 4 locations for their Florida-based D-League affiliate". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ Robbins, Josh (June 30, 2016). "Kissimmee, Lakeland finalists for Magic's D-League location". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ "Orlando Magic Purchase NBA D-League's Erie BayHawks". OurSports Central. December 14, 2016.
- ^ "Orlando Magic Purchase NBA D-League's Erie BayHawks" (Press release). NBA Development League. December 14, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Fredericksen, Brady (December 14, 2016). "Orlando Magic D-League team to play in Lakeland, practice in Winter Haven". The Ledger.
- ^ "Lakeland Magic chosen as name of Orlando Magic's D-League team". Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Magic name Anthony Parker GM, Stan Heath head coach of Lakeland G-League team". Fox Sports Florida. August 8, 2017.
- ^ "Local BayHawks Management Issues Statement on the Future of the NBA". OurSports Central. December 14, 2016.
- ^ "New Look BayHawks take flight tonight in Erie". Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- ^ "Atlanta Hawks' NBA D-League Team to Begin Play in 2017". OurSports Central. January 31, 2017.
- ^ "Lakeland Magic Name Joe Barrer Head Coach". OurSports Central. August 11, 2021.
- ^ "Orlando Magic Announce Basketball Operations Promotions". Orlando Magic. October 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Savage, Dan (April 11, 2023). "Orlando Magic's G League Team's Move to Osceola a 'Game Changer'". OrlandoMagic.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "ORLANDO MAGIC MOVE G LEAGUE TEAM TO OSCEOLA HERITAGE PARK". OsceolaMagic.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
