OT: Who are you?

[DSN1423]

I have for a long time have lurked this forum as an international Magic fan, to try get a feel of how the fanbase views the team and for information that you guys have shared (through article, podcast, tweet links) and to I guess feel a bit more connected to the Magic than just watching games through Synergy or now InStat can provide me.

Life on a time zone 15-12 hours ahead of Florida EST has probably lead me to not join in much debate on the forums but time to time I join in where I feel I can add value compared to just typing to not say much.

Anyway, the point of this thread (and forgive me if this has been done already) is to get to know everyone a little better or as much as you are willing to share. I feel quite juvenile using or being known by a username and feel like this board has a steady clientele of users and familiarity which makes it feel more of a hangout spot compared to anonymous posters just yelling at each other.

I'll start it off;

ME

Name - Dave

Location - Perth, Australia

Occupations - Basketball Coach and the Assistant GM of pro women's basketball team

Reason I follow the Magic - Played college ball in Florida so saw a lot of the magic and loved the early D12 teams


Feel free to call me by my real name. Also am willingly to share contact details.

[Viper1500]

My name is Stephen, my forum name comes from a game I used to play called RuneScape (lol). I have lived in the Orlando area my entire life. I graduated from UCF and became a Math teacher.

Even though I was born in the early 90s, I did not become a die hard fan until TMAC joined the Magic. I would use the season schedule magnet that sun sports would pass out during preseason to keep track of when the games were on back then. I have probably watched 90% of the games from 2001-current.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[Knightro]

Knightro/Andrew here.

Florida born and raised. Grew up in the Panhandle and lived there through high school. I am a UCF grad. Worked in the school's athletic department for 4 years from 2011-2014.

Moved to Orlando for college and lived there for a total of 12 years (2006-2017). A job opportunity took my wife and I from Florida to Massachusetts (lived in Rhode Island) in 2018 and then from New England to New Jersey near Philly in 2020 where we still live to this day.

We have our first baby on the way in January, and the due date is the same week as my birthday

Follow the Magic and the NBA at large through League Pass.

[DSN1423]

My name is Stephen, my forum name comes from a game I used to play called RuneScape (lol). I have lived in the Orlando area my entire life. I graduated from UCF and became a Math teacher.

Even though I was born in the early 90s, I did not become a die hard fan until TMAC joined the Magic. I would use the season schedule magnet that sun sports would pass out during preseason to keep track of when the games were on back then. I have probably watched 90% of the games from 2001-current.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

So as a math teacher you must be the resident analytics guy around here?

[DSN1423]

Knightro/Andrew here.

Florida born and raised. Grew up in the Panhandle and lived there through high school. I am a UCF grad. Worked in the school's athletic department for 4 years from 2011-2014.

Moved to Orlando for college and lived there for a total of 12 years (2006-2017). A job opportunity took my wife and I from Florida to Massachusetts (lived in Rhode Island) in 2018 and then from New England to New Jersey near Philly in 2020 where we still live to this day.

We have our first baby on the way in January, and the due date is the same week as my birthday

Follow the Magic and the NBA at large through League Pass.

Where you there for the Tacko Fall era at UCF?

I spent a lot of time in North Jersey (where its taylor ham not pork roll) with the old college sweetheart many moons ago. Can we expect to see you in the stands when Orl play in Philly?

Congrats on the baby, I've got a 2yo son. Definitely changed my life for the better, enjoy the ride mate! Even though it may mean a lot less time on these forums.....

Thanks for connecting

[Knightro]

Where you there for the Tacko Fall era at UCF?

I spent a lot of time in North Jersey (where its taylor ham not pork roll) with the old college sweetheart many moons ago. Can we expect to see you in the stands when Orl play in Philly?

Congrats on the baby, I've got a 2yo son. Definitely changed my life for the better, enjoy the ride mate! Even though it may mean a lot less time on these forums.....

Thanks for connecting

I left UCF as an employee the year before the Tacko got there. I was still living in Orlando and went to a bunch of games during that time period, but I wasn't working there. I was there for the Keith Clanton/Isaiah Sykes era.

It's pork roll where I'm at.

As far as Magic at Sixers... we'll see! They play in Philly on January 30 and February 1, but I will probably have like a two-week-old baby at that point, so it is pretty unlikely I'll be able to get away

[Husky1]

Name / Mike.
From Melbourne Australia
Occupation/ Petroleum Engineer
Loved team since Shaq and Penny and wasted a lot of money on League Pass subscriptions to watch every game. Even went to a couple games a few years ago. Planning to go again soon. Hopefully brighter days ahead.

[SOUL]

I feel like I have a lot of random stories involving the Magic/posters here.

I'm Nick, born in New York, raised in Orlando, back in New York taking care of my grandpa while I'm able to WFH. I worked in hospitality for a while at Planet Hollywood for about 5-6 years.

I've written a few articles for RealGM (Nick Zappulla), also did a short-lived Magic podcast with Knightro.. maybe we should bring it back (I know I got very busy! my bad!!)

Other random facts:

I think me and Ajeeta Khanna (she used to post here, and wrote for OPP) went to Dr. Phillips at the same time.

CPBalla n da (numbers - I forgot the rest of his username, but Cortez), somehow knows my dad from going to a lot of clubs my dad used to DJ at around Orlando

I also went to school with Scooter Magruder (who makes a lot of sports/Magic content on YouTube, ESPN, etc). Pretty much from 4th grade to HS graduation, he also lived a few blocks away from me for a few years so we'd chill, play ball a bit.

We also went to school with Chris Warren, DP basketball legend, my guy! He went on to play at Ole Miss.. plays a lot overseas now. Was a teammate of.. guess who last year? Victor Wembanyama.

Met Darrell Armstrong bowling the lane next to me as a kid. Complimented me on a strike and I felt VERY cool.

I once threw Nick Anderson's nephew into a tree by accident while playing some tag game as a kid. His mom (Nick's sister) was VERY pissed and stormed down to where I lived to yell at my dad (who pretended to give a **** ) . But met Nick there a few times just chillin' around as a kid as well, laidback guy.

[richi_v25]

Name / Mike.
From Melbourne Australia
Occupation/ Petroleum Engineer
Loved team since Shaq and Penny and wasted a lot of money on League Pass subscriptions to watch every game. Even went to a couple games a few years ago. Planning to go again soon. Hopefully brighter days ahead.

Petro engineer, that's so neat. I'm born and raised in Central Florida but after going to college in Boston during our recession i took a good paying job in New Orleans working at a chemical plant. Long story short i still live in Central Florida but i work out of town fixing equipment for petro/chem plants all over, mostly Nola or Houston. I should gone to school for petro or mechanical engineer but i was unaware of such a job growing up in an agriculture area. Fan since the heart and hustle days then got spoiled with Tmac and even more with Dwight.

[DSN1423]

Name / Mike.
From Melbourne Australia
Occupation/ Petroleum Engineer
Loved team since Shaq and Penny and wasted a lot of money on League Pass subscriptions to watch every game. Even went to a couple games a few years ago. Planning to go again soon. Hopefully brighter days ahead.

Awesome, I grew up in Melbourne out in the far eastern suburbs.

Where abouts are you?

[drsd]

Dr SD
Research scientist: genomics and molecular genetics
University Chair
Father of a ten-year old son, 4 dogs and five cats
Born in what was Winter Park and now is Orlando (the land of the old Navy base changed cities; and I got issued an updated birth certificate as my birth local changed)
. * i.e. I was a Navy brat as a child
UCF alumn with BSc in molecular biology, microbiology and minor in chem
To move to Wisconsin, "retired" semi-vested at Publix in 1994 after 6-years time-served. Which got me 20 shares in the company
UW-Madison alum with PhD in Genetics

Owner of four pet sheep in Yorkshire, UK, who keep our ~20 chickens company

I watched game-1 live of Orlando beating defending champions Detroit in 1989.

``We beat the World Champs that night and everybody thought we had won the NBA championship that night even though it was just a preseason game,’’ Magic Hall of Fame forward Nick Anderson said of Orlando’s 118-109 defeat of the Pistons on that 1989 night. ``I just felt so good for the fans because everybody had worked so hard to that point to get an NBA team here. You could just see a joy coming over the fans. They were new to basketball, professional basketball anyway, and it was a great moment for them. And it was a great win for us, too beating the defending champs.’’

I have been a loyal Magic fan since.


p.s. the only Magician I have ever met in person is Litterial Green.

[Husky1]

Name / Mike.
From Melbourne Australia
Occupation/ Petroleum Engineer
Loved team since Shaq and Penny and wasted a lot of money on League Pass subscriptions to watch every game. Even went to a couple games a few years ago. Planning to go again soon. Hopefully brighter days ahead.

Awesome, I grew up in Melbourne out in the far eastern suburbs.

Where abouts are you?

Templestowe mate.

[DSN1423]

Name / Mike.
From Melbourne Australia
Occupation/ Petroleum Engineer
Loved team since Shaq and Penny and wasted a lot of money on League Pass subscriptions to watch every game. Even went to a couple games a few years ago. Planning to go again soon. Hopefully brighter days ahead.

Awesome, I grew up in Melbourne out in the far eastern suburbs.


Where abouts are you?

Templestowe mate.

I grew up out just past Ringwood. Are you involved with Bulleen basketball by any chance?

[Husky1]

Awesome, I grew up in Melbourne out in the far eastern suburbs.


Where abouts are you?

Templestowe mate.

I grew up out just past Ringwood. Are you involved with Bulleen basketball by any chance?

nup. I have always played local footy and cricket. Just happen to be an Orlando Magic tragic.

[BadMofoPimp]

Name - Eric

Location - Winter Park, FL (Suburb of Orlando)

Occupations - Controls Engineer

Reason I follow the Magic - Originally from Detroit and watched the Bad Boys as a kid then moved to Orlando 1991 where I got to see Shaq's first game live and the feeling in the arena that night was beyond crazy. Then, as I got older, I used to run into Shaq, Grant, Shaw etc down at the club Barbarella's. Shaq stepped on my toe once on the dance floor and looked down with a funny grin to say sorry! Anyways, played Rugby while my first time at UCF before I dropped out due to excessive partying. We had the best party's. I moved away to travel around the US and spent 2 years in Wyoming/Colorado just exploring the mountains and working on a ranch tending cattle/horses. Came back to graduate UCF. I used to travel alot for my job, even went to Poland in February 2 days before Putins invasion to work on a Navy base, but took a mainly desk job recently, so no more travel now but more money. I am all about exploring and doing creating things. I dig hiking, fishing/diving and exploring mountains. Oh yeah, I am active at Lake Baldwin Dog Park as part of the community in Winter Park etc and am there every single evening to meet up with friends to walk the dogs. I used to live across the street from Lake Baldwin.

I play in two bands now. The first band, Haunted we started well over 20 years ago as teenagers, but didn't have the capital to do much. We resurrected the band and put almost $30k into our vision of an extreme evil horror symphonic blackened death metal band. Locals tell us we are as good as any band internationally, but have yet to crack the international scene much less major promoters. But, our shows are fun and we are having a helluva time. My other band is new and we are in the song writing stage called Sun Throne. I would call it a doom, sludge band in the vein of Crowbar, Electric Wizard and Monolord. I will be the front man/bass player. I play multiple instruments. I hope to tour Europe within 2 years so I can play for all my friends I met while over there.

How I found RealGM. It was 2001 and I just moved back to Florida working a Technical phone Support job where I could browse the internet while working. I couldn't find a good news site, then stumbled across RealGM. I didn't even notice the forums for almost 2 years as I am not a social network type a person. So, I have been through the ups and downs. I even went to Dwights first game in the NBA, the opening of the new arena and all that as a season ticket holder. I quit that for the pasts 10 years. I do have a pic of me sitting in Dwights chair, lol. I am active on the Pistons, Magic and sometimes the Heat board as I lived in South Florida twice.

Lastly, I coined the term,"Gonna Provem All Wrong!" for at first Hedo then BBD aka Big Baby Davis aka "BBD Gonna Provem All Wrong!" Long term RealGMers either hate or like me, nobody loves BMP. As for the name, I started off as BadMofoe, since someone had BadMofo already. Then, while out at UCF at the $7 all you can drink night bar, I got real drunk, hooked up with two women at same time, got home still plastered and decided I was BADMOFOPIMP and asked for a name change.

FYI. I am no longer a wild partying man. I am very mild mannered, mellow and serious except when on stage. I rarely even drink anymore as I figure I grew out of that stage. No more a case a day . . .

[3ddman23]

Where you there for the Tacko Fall era at UCF?

I spent a lot of time in North Jersey (where its taylor ham not pork roll) with the old college sweetheart many moons ago. Can we expect to see you in the stands when Orl play in Philly?

Congrats on the baby, I've got a 2yo son. Definitely changed my life for the better, enjoy the ride mate! Even though it may mean a lot less time on these forums.....

Thanks for connecting

I left UCF as an employee the year before the Tacko got there. I was still living in Orlando and went to a bunch of games during that time period, but I wasn't working there. I was there for the Keith Clanton/Isaiah Sykes era.

It's pork roll where I'm at.

As far as Magic at Sixers... we'll see! They play in Philly on January 30 and February 1, but I will probably have like a two-week-old baby at that point, so it is pretty unlikely I'll be able to get away

Those are the years that I went to ucf. I remember playing at the rec center one day and Sykes was just randomly hooping by himself with a bunch of us. And the difference in skill and size and just how easy he made it look was crazy.

Its wild casue he never even came close to an nba opportunity but yet it shows how many levels there truly is to b ball.

[3ddman23]

Born(1989) and raised in orlando Florida.
Grew up in East Orlando living in places from semoran to dean and curry ford and in-between.

Went to university high school
Graduated from ucf in 2014
Moved to south Florida during covid (2020)
And just moved back to Central Florida(clermont) a month ago.

I have also been in to basketball since I was a kid. But truly got into it around 10 years old. I became a huge magic fan the summer that the magic signed mcgrady and g.hill.

Was a huge g.hill fan as a kid had his jerseys and sneakers. So when the magic signed him it was awesome but quick shifted to being a hard-core mcgrady fan and became opposed with the magic ever since.

These last 10 years have been rough but from 2000-2012 it was truly fun being a magic fan(until the dwightmare season of course).

I'm hoping paolo turns the shift around and we can get back to being to championship contender status soon.

Go magic

[Mc-o]

Born(1989) and raised in orlando Florida.
Grew up in East Orlando living in places from semoran to dean and curry ford and in-between.

Went to university high school
Graduated from ucf in 2014
Moved to south Florida during covid (2020)
And just moved back to Central Florida(clermont) a month ago.

I have also been in to basketball since I was a kid. But truly got into it around 10 years old. I became a huge magic fan the summer that the magic signed mcgrady and g.hill.

Was a huge g.hill fan as a kid had his jerseys and sneakers. So when the magic signed him it was awesome but quick shifted to being a hard-core mcgrady fan and became opposed with the magic ever since.

These last 10 years have been rough but from 2000-2012 it was truly fun being a magic fan(until the dwightmare season of course).

I'm hoping paolo turns the shift around and we can get back to being to championship contender status soon.

Go magic

We went to university high school at the same time ! Lol

[Mc-o]

My name is Orlando and I am From Orlando (corny I know )
Born in 1987 ,
Been a die hard magic fan since I can remember . My parents both loved the magic during the show and penny days and I have been following ever since .

Now I am a New Homes Sales rep in the central Florida area trying to convert all these new comers into magic fans lol

[3ddman23]

Born(1989) and raised in orlando Florida.
Grew up in East Orlando living in places from semoran to dean and curry ford and in-between.

Went to university high school
Graduated from ucf in 2014
Moved to south Florida during covid (2020)
And just moved back to Central Florida(clermont) a month ago.

I have also been in to basketball since I was a kid. But truly got into it around 10 years old. I became a huge magic fan the summer that the magic signed mcgrady and g.hill.

Was a huge g.hill fan as a kid had his jerseys and sneakers. So when the magic signed him it was awesome but quick shifted to being a hard-core mcgrady fan and became opposed with the magic ever since.

These last 10 years have been rough but from 2000-2012 it was truly fun being a magic fan(until the dwightmare season of course).

I'm hoping paolo turns the shift around and we can get back to being to championship contender status soon.

Go magic

We went to university high school at the same time ! Lol

Nice, I graduated in 07. Went to discovery and odyssey middle school and Deerwood and cypress springs elementary.