Shaquille O’Neal played four seasons with the Orlando Magic from 1992 to 1996.
The Orlando Magic were established in 1989. Despite their limited time in the NBA, they have had some of the best centers in league history play for the franchise. Let’s discuss their top five single season blocks per game leaders.
Shaquille O’Neal -1993, 3.5 BPG
The Magic selected O’Neal with the first pick in the 1992 Draft. He immediately dominated with blocks, averaging 3.5 of them per game during his rookie campaign. He also averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds. While appearing in 81 games and averaging 38 minutes, he made the All-Star team, won the Rookie of the Year award and finished seventh in MVP voting.
Dwight Howard – 2009, 2.9 BPG
The Magic selected Howard with the first pick in the 2004 Draft. He did not miss a single game in any of his first four seasons in the league. He played in 79 games in 2008-09 and led the league with 2.9 blocks per game. That season, he also averaged 20.6 points and led the league by averaging 13.8 rebounds per game. It was a season full of accolades as he made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA First Team and won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Shaquille O’Neal – 1994, 2.9 BPG
O’Neal’s second season in the NBA was even more dominant. He averaged 29.3 points while leading the league in field goal percentage (59.9%) and field goals made per game (11.8). In addition to his offensive contributions, he averaged 2.9 blocks and 13.2 rebounds. That helped him make the All-Star team and finish fourth in MVP voting.
Dwight Howard – 2010, 2.8 BPG
Howard led the league in blocks per game for the second straight season when he averaged 2.8 of them in 2009-10. He also led the league again in rebounds per game (13.2) while winning another Defensive Player of the Year award. Howard would eventually spend the first eight seasons of his career with the Magic. Over 621 games with the franchise, he averaged 18.4 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He made six All-Star teams, made All-NBA First Team five times and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2025.
Shaquille O’Neal – 1995, 2.4 BPG
The 1994-95 season may have been O’Neal’s best with the Magic. He led the league in points (29.3), field goals made (11.8), and free throws attempted (10.8) per game. He also averaged 2.4 blocks and 11.4 rebounds while finishing second in MVP voting. O’Neal spent the first four seasons of his career with the Magic before signing with the Lakers. Over 295 regular season games with the Magic, he averaged 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. In the playoffs, he averaged 25.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Although he did not win a championship with the Magic, he would eventually win three titles with the Lakers and one with the Heat. O’Neal was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
