The Story Behind Shaquille O'Neal Wearing No. 32 Instead Of No. 33 With Orlando Magic

It appeared O'Neal would continue wearing the number he donned at LSU but things didn't go according to plan. He spent his entire stay with the Magic in a No. 32 jersey. Here's why: The No. 33 belonged to Magic player Terry Catledge, who arrived in Orlando three years before O'Neal. Magic owner Pat Hill was under the impression Catledge had no problem giving up the number. "33 seems to be a big part of Shaquille's life," Hill said. "It was important to him to have that jersey number." Hill had no idea at the time he was wrong. A local television station (Wesh2) interviewed Catledge at an autograph session before the draft. He told the station he wasn't giving up the number unless: "It depends how much he wants to pay me." Even though Catledge was smiling at the time, he never relinquished the number. It left O'Neal wearing No. 32 while he played for the Magic. Some years later, O'Neal addressed the issue while appearing in his role as an analyst on TNT. He was giving a rundown on why he wore certain numbers