One of the pillars of one of the Orlando Magic’s most successful eras had his place cemented in the organization’s history.
Former sharpshooter Dennis Scott, who earned the nickname “3-D” because of his prolific 3-point scoring, became the 12th inductee into the organization’s Hall of Fame ahead of Thursday’s home game vs. the N.Y. Knicks.
Scott joined John Gabriel (2022), Brian Hill (’22), Darrell Armstrong (’20), David Steele (’19), Tracy McGrady (’18), Jimmy Hewitt (’17), Penny Hardaway (’17), Rich DeVos (’16), Shaquille O’Neal (’15), Pat Williams (’14) and Nick Anderson (’14) in the Magic’s Hall of Fame.
“It’s an unbelievable honor,” Scott said. “Just the fact that you feel appreciated for the work you’ve done. This is special.”
Scott, who was a key part of the run to the 1995 NBA Finals, played with the Magic from 1990-97 after being the fourth pick in the 1990 draft out of Georgia Tech.
“He was a key piece in that team that took us to the Finals,” Magic CEO Alex Martins responded when asked about Scott’s place in franchise history. “And obviously for those early years in the franchise as well. He’s played a critical role in our history.”
Martins added: “There’s no doubt he’s played a role in growing basketball in Central Florida. You think back to when he was drafted, it was at the very beginning of the franchise. He and those early teams helped grow the game of basketball to what it is today.”
Scott remains the Magic’s all-time leader in made 3s with 981.
He set a then-NBA single-season record with 267 3-pointers during the 1995-96 season, a record that lasted 10 years. The 11 3s he made vs. the Atlanta Hawks on April 18, 1996, was the league’s single-game record for almost seven seasons. He also made 7 3s during Game 2 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Indiana Pacers.
All three marks remain franchise records in their respective categories.
“He was shooting the 3-pointer before it was popular, before it was en vogue in the NBA,” Martins said. “He was one of the 3-point pioneers. That was exciting. He really helped put the stake in the ground here in Central Florida as far as professional basketball.”
Scott averaged 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds. and 2.3 assists and shot 40.3% (981 of 2,432) on 3s in 446 regular season games (322 starts) with Orlando.
He’s eighth among games played with the Magic and spent seven years of his 10-season NBA career with Orlando.
Scott played for the Magic in seven of their first eight years as a franchise.
“That’s where the emotions kick in [heavily],” Scott said. “If you’ve been around and watched what this franchise has been through, you remember the glory days, the struggles we had at times and I think that’s why when we use the words ‘unconditional love.’ That’s why it’s emotional.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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