'A Magical 36 Years': PA Announcer Paul Porter Leaving Magic at End of Season

The 2024-25 season will be Paul Porter's last as the Orlando Magic's PA announcer at home games, the team said Friday, marking the end of an era that stretches back nearly four decades to the team's inception.

Orlando Magic PA announcer Paul Porter will be honored during the team's final regular season home game on April 9. Porter has been the team's PA announcer since the team's inception in 1989. | Orlando Pinstripe Post

ORLANDO, Fla. – For 36 years, the familiar booming voice of public address announcer Paul Porter has greeted Orlando Magic fans at home games, telling them loudly and proudly to stand and cheer for Central Florida's home team.

Whether it be at the "O-Rena" or the fresher-built Kia Center, Porter's signature, drawn-out vocal inflections and unmistakable calls were a fixture, making Magic home games feel complete.

Per a release from the team on Friday afternoon, the 2024-25 season will be his last.

The Magic will honor Porter – one of the NBA's longest tenured PA voices – during the final home regular-season game on Wednesday, April 9 vs. the Boston Celtics. Orlando will commemorate his devotion and service to the team and its fans, which he's done since the team's inception.

Tipoff that evening is set for 7 p.m. ET.

“It’s been a magical 36 years,” Porter said in a release. “I will certainly miss the fans, coaches, players and staff. After countless trips up and down I-4, it’s time to pass the torch in Orlando. It’s been a tremendous run and I will forever remain a Magic fan. I humbly thank the Magic for this life-changing opportunity back in 1989, but most of all I want to say thank you to the fans for allowing me to be part of their gameday experience.”

Porter, 71, resides in Tampa and would commute to Orlando up I-4 for Magic games. He will continue his roles as PA announcer for the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, which he's held since the club's inception in 1992, and press box announcer for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A Cleveland native, Porter was the PA announcer for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1980 to 1984 before arriving to the Sunshine State with Continental Basketball Association teams in Sarasota and Tampa, per a 1990 article originally published in the Orlando Sentinel.

He will continue in his role as the voice of the Magic through the extent of Orlando's upcoming postseason run.

“Paul has certainly left an indelible mark on our franchise,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said. “Simply, he will be missed, but never forgotten. His iconic calls will certainly live on.”

Orlando plans to conduct a search for his replacement. But Porter's absence truly marks the end of an era for the Magic – and leaves big shoes to fill for the next person in line.

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Update: In a post shared to his Facebook account on Friday afternoon, Porter said that the situation was "a decision by the team and not mine."

Magic PA announcer Paul Porter made a post to his Facebook account Friday afternoon saying the decision to leave the team was "not mine." | Paul Porter, Facebook

When reached for comment by Magic on SI, a Magic team official declined further comment and referred to the team's original press release regarding the matter.

In a 1-on-1 with the Orlando Sentinel, Porter confirmed that he's known since last June that this would be his final season with the Magic.

"About February or so, I contacted the Magic and said, ‘I’d really like to retire on my own terms,’ and in my mind I was thinking I was going to do the Magic for a year or two. I’m 71 years old," Porter told Jason Beede of the Sentinel. "And I just said, ‘Would you consider allowing me to do one more season or maybe two, and then just announce that I’m retiring?’ And they said, ‘No, the decision has already been made. We are going in a different chapter and this will be your final year.’

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