BEHIND THE MAGIC SERIES PART 4: Greg Kite Reflects on Magic Memories, Shaq’s Arrival and Orlando’s Playoff Blueprint

Written by Craig Larson Jr.

Our series rolls on with a man who brought his championship pedigree to Orlando during the franchise’s formative years.

Greg Kite collected a pair of NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. In 1990, he helped the Magic improve their win total by 13 games in the franchise’s second season.

Larson Jr.: What was it like finally being able to play a full 82-game season?

Kite: That was exciting. I had an offseason home in Orlando because my wife is from there. I got a chance to play every night, and we got better each month.

Larson Jr.: We spoke to Dennis Scott in our last feature. He came in and really filled up the stat sheet for you guys as a rookie.

Kite: Dennis could knock it down. He was a great shooter, and it was a great fit for me because I could set screens for him and help get him open. Dennis was such a big part of what we did because he spread the floor. He had a nice career.

Larson Jr.: Many people remember Scott Skiles’ 30-assist game against Denver during the 1990 season. It’s still mind-boggling all these years later that he dished out that many assists.

Kite: It was unique, and the record, of course, still stands. Scott was a character and a really smart player. It helped that Denver was coached by Paul Westhead, who encouraged his players to keep possessions short. It was rare for them to hold the ball for more than 10 seconds, so we had a lot of opportunities. It was pretty neat to be part of that. I converted a few shots and contributed to that record. (Laughs.)

Larson Jr.: What do you remember about Shaq coming to the Magic?

Kite: I think the first time it really set in for me was one day when I was in Matt Guokas’ office with Otis Smith, Jeff Turner and a few other guys. Matt had scouted Shaq, and he started talking about playing with Wilt Chamberlain when he was a rookie. He talked about what Wilt could do to teams with his physical power and athleticism and said seeing Shaq was the closest thing he had ever seen to him.

Larson Jr.: Game 6 is still hard to go back and watch. What do the Magic need to improve to make a deep playoff run?

Kite: You can’t totally control this, but they need to stay healthy. Their big three — Paolo, Franz and Suggs — didn’t play together much. The playoffs are about health and matchups, but you also need collective experience. They have to go through the wars and learn from that. The Eastern Conference is only going to be tougher next year, and it’s going to be a fight to earn a top-six spot.

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Craig Larson Jr.

 Craig Larson Jr. is a freelance contributor for 1010XL. Craig has been covering professional and collegiate sports for media outlets since 1990. He’s attended 17 Super Bowls, 11 Final Fours, 5 World Series, along with multiple Kentucky Derbies, Championship Fights and All-Star Games.