The story goes Philadelphia 76ers general manager Pat Williams was looking for a new challenge. He was leaving the mid-Atlantic and seeking a new place to plant the NBA’s flag.
The league seemed determined to go south and an intrepid businessman in Central Florida convinced him to check out where Disney had settled about a decade earlier.
Orlando was not anywhere near a thriving metropolis at that time. There were still probably more orange groves than anything else and building a professional sports team was a pipe dream.
Williams somehow was drawn to this place and saw its potential.