1989–1992: Early years The Magic, in their debut year, selected Nick Anderson from Illinois in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft. As the 11th pick, he was the team's first franchise player and leading scorer for a decade. The Magic's very first game played was an exhibition game on October 13, 1989, against the then-reigning champion Detroit Pistons, which the Magic won. Anderson was quoted as saying the atmosphere and the people watching the game was "like Game 7 of the NBA Finals".
1989–1992 Early years The Magic, in their debut year, selected Nick Anderson from Illinois in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft. As the 11th pick, he was the team's first franchise player and leading scorer for a decade. The Magic's very first game played was an exhibition game on October 13, 1989, against the then-reigning champion Detroit Pistons, which the Magic won. Anderson was quoted as saying the atmosphere and the people watching the game was "like Game 7 of the NBA Finals".