How Doc Rivers Destroyed Chance Of Orlando Magic Signing Hall Of Famer

Headlined by Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, the Orlando Magic were a marquee team in the '90s. However, the eventual departures of O’Neal and Hardaway left the team in an average spot at the turn of the millennium.

After finishing 41-41, Orlando had a chance to reload on its star power with a big acquisition in the summer of 2000- Tim Duncan.

In an appearance on All The Smoke with former NBA forward Matt Barnes, ex-Magic forward Grant Hill revealed just how close Orlando was to signing the San Antonio Spurs Hall of Fame big man.

How It Fell Apart

“Tim and I had the same agent, so we went down together [to Orlando],” Hill said. “And Tim, I think, was more in at the time than I was.”

“While we were there, everything was going well. It just felt like this could happen. I know it’s hard for people now to think of Tim Duncan anywhere else.”

Tim Duncan almost joined the Orlando Magic🤯 pic.twitter.com/orpLWYFGPw
— SleeperMagic (@SleeperOrlando) August 4, 2025

Unfortunately for the Magic, one moment between Duncan’s girlfriend and former coach Doc Rivers shattered the prospect of a deal.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Duncan added. “We had dinner, and Tim’s girlfriend asked Doc a question: Can wives and girlfriends travel on the team plane?”

“Back then, that didn’t happen. It happens now, but back then, it didn’t happen. So, Doc said no, it’s a business trip.”

According to Hill, the Spurs had already begun allowing significant others to travel on the team plane.

“It’s funny because Tamia and I were in the hotel room, and she’s like, ‘He ain’t coming.’”

What Could Have Been

Hill decided to sign with Orlando, and the organization also acquired Tracy McGrady. McGrady earned his first All-Star selection and the Most Improved Player award after averaging 26.8 points in his first season with the Magic. Hill averaged 13.8 points.

Despite McGrady’s elite level of production, the Magic failed to take a significant leap from the previous year. The team finished with a 43-39 record before losing 3-1 to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.

Duncan finished his career as a perennial All-Star and a five-time NBA champion. He is also a two-time MVP and a three-time Finals MVP. Duncan was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Imagining what a duo of McGrady and Duncan could have been must be difficult for Magic fans to stomach, especially after the loss of Hardaway and O’Neal.

How It Fell Apart

What Could Have Been

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