Some Orlando Magic players have recently taken to playing golf, a game that rewards patience but exposes every flaw. That makes it a fitting backdrop for a team entering 2026–27 with a higher standard: Orlando is no longer judged by its potential, but by how it performs when the pressure is on
Last season, the Magic went 45–37, reached the playoffs, and pushed Detroit to seven games in the first round. Yet the finish still stung. The Magic let a 3–1 series lead slip away, exposing the gap between a promising young team and one capable of sustaining a deep postseason run. The response was consequential: Orlando dismissed Jamahl Mosley in May and hired Sean Sweeney, a respected defensive-minded head coach now tasked with sharpening an offense that has ranked 19th or worse in efficiency in each of the past three seasons.
The roster remains built around a compelling core. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, and Desmond Bane give the Magic size, toughness, and shot creation, while the return of 35-year-old center Nikola Vučević adds experience and frontcourt depth. For a team trying to turn last season’s disappointment into fuel, training camp brings added urgency: a new head coach’s philosophy, heightened expectations, and a narrow margin for error in a deep Eastern Conference.
But at media day, conversations with the players weren’t limited to new schemes, defensive rotations, or pick-and-roll coverages. At times, they drifted toward green reading, golf swings, and the best courses in Central Florida.
An intriguing trend has taken hold: picking up a golf club to get away from the hardwood—and, in some cases, to find a different competitive edge.
For 22-year-old Anthony Black, golf offers a natural parallel to the concentration required in professional basketball.
“It’s a relaxing sport, but it’s really challenging too,” Black said. “It’s a lot of technicalities, a lot of skill needed to succeed. I just find it fun to try to get better and improve.”
That pursuit of improvement fits a young Magic guard expected to keep growing into a larger role. The game’s demand for precision appeals to Black, but golf can also offer distance from the daily pressure of chasing team goals over an 82-game NBA season.
When asked whether golf clears his head or fills it with frustrating swing thoughts, Black said it can be both.
“Fifty-fifty, because I’m super passionate about getting better in all aspects, winning, and performing well,” Black said. “As you know, in golf that’s not always the case. But I feel like it does clear my head of a lot of the serious things I’m actually going through.”
Off the court, Black follows the PGA Tour and has found himself rooting for Min Woo Lee.
“He’s a pioneer for the young cats, got some nice spin on his ball,” Black said. “That’s what I like to watch.”
Talking Golf with 6th-year Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs
For teammate Jalen Suggs, the draw is as much about calm as it is about competition. The 25-year-old guard, whose defensive edge and intensity remain vital to Orlando’s identity, sees golf as a rare chance to slow down without fully stepping away from the drive to improve.
“I love how peaceful the game is,” Suggs said. “It really gets me going competitively, especially being a bit newer to it. Every time I go out and hit a ball, I get a couple shots that keep me coming back. But I’m not perfect—my path isn’t consistent yet, and I’m not putting the ball exactly where I want. It’s a humble pleasure.”
Suggs told me he’s a fan of Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, and rising amateur Jackson Koivun. For a player who fully embraces the physical and emotional grind of the NBA’s grueling schedule, the golf course offers a valuable counterbalance: a quiet setting, a clear target, and a different kind of problem to solve.
That same outdoor tranquility drew Nikola Vučević back to the game. The 35-year-old center returned to Orlando this offseason on a one-year deal, rejoining the franchise where he spent most of his NBA career. He arrives as both a familiar fan favorite and a veteran voice for a talented roster aiming to turn potential into postseason progress.
Nik’s presence adds another layer of perspective to a team balancing a playoff-ready roster’s impatience with the realities of adapting to a new coaching staff. Between video review sessions, practices, and the demands of his schedule, Vučević enjoys taking his children to the golf course.
“To me, my favorite thing is just being outdoors,” Vučević said. “Especially here when it gets a little cooler, you play in the afternoon after practice. It’s very calming, very quiet. Now that my kids are a little older, I take them in the golf cart and let them hit shots as we get closer to the green.”
Although Vučević admits his driver mechanics need some fine-tuning, he feels comfortable with his irons, particularly the 5- through 9-irons. His interest in golf dates back to the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at nearby Bay Hill, where he has watched Rory McIlroy contend for a title.
For Franz Wagner, golf became appealing after he arrived in Central Florida. Golf was far less accessible growing up in Germany, but after five years in a Magic uniform, the 25-year-old wing has embraced the game as a way to get outside and disconnect.
“A lot of my friends, especially those from the United States, play golf, which motivated me to pick it up,” Wagner told me. “We spend most of our time indoors, so it’s a great way to tune everything out, be fully in the moment, listen to the birds, and then go back to work.”
Wagner, candid about still being too new to the game to settle on a favorite PGA Tour player, recognizes the value of a mental break. That balance may be especially important this season, as Orlando tries to absorb Sweeney’s approach while carrying expectations that extend well beyond the regular season.
The Magic open preseason play on October 7 in Memphis to take on the Grizzlies, then begin the regular season on October 21 at Kia Center against the Atlanta Hawks.
Photo Credit Orlando Magic
