ORLANDO – Without Jimmy Hewitt’s vision and passion, Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard and others likely never would have played NBA basketball in Orlando.
Without Jimmy Hewitt’s belief in the only place he’s ever truly considered home, the 1995 and 2009 NBA Finals and the 1992 and 2012 NBA All-Star Games never would have been staged in Central Florida.
And without Jimmy Hewitt’s relentless and unwavering persuasions about what Orlando could someday become, there almost certainly never would have been an Orlando Magic franchise.
For his efforts in helping pursue, co-found the franchise and land an expansion spot in the NBA, Hewitt was honored on Wednesday with induction into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.