ORLANDO — Orlando Magic Hall of Famer Dennis Scott's jersey will be retired by his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
Scott's No. 4 will be hung from the ceiling at McCamish Pavilion, the stadium where he played in college. Tech athletic director J. Butt and men's basketball coach Damon Stoudemire surprised Scott with the good news during a live broadcast on NBA TV on Thursday.
For the 55-year-old Scott, having his number retired will fulfill a wish his mother made when he first decided to play collegiately in Atlanta.
“This all happened because my mom wanted to see that No. 4 on my jersey from the ceiling,” Scott told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “I said, 'Mom, Georgia Tech is like any other decent university and I have to go back as a student-athlete.' And she said, 'Can you go back before I die?' And when she said that to me, and she's 81, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, do I still have time? If I don't graduate and she dies, I'm dead.'”
He will receive his bachelor's degree in December 2023.
During his three years at Georgia Tech, Scott was named an All-American and to the All-ACC team while averaging 27.7 points per game and shooting 41.4 percent from three-point range, earning him the conference Player of the Year honors in 1990. The Yellow Jackets reached the Final Four that season.
The 6-foot-8 small forward was drafted fourth overall by Orlando that summer. He was a key contributor to the Magic's success during the Penny Hardaway-Shaquille O'Neal era, averaging 14.8 points and shooting 40.3 percent from three-point range. The Magic made the playoffs four times, including a Finals appearance in 1994-95 and a franchise-best 60-win season in 1995-96.
Scott will be inducted into the Magic Hall of Fame in March 2023.
