ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Team founder of the Orlando Magic Jimmy Hewitt has died at the age of 79, according to a news release from the team.
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“The Orlando Magic mourn the passing of Jimmy Hewitt. Hewitt, an Orlando native, was the architect for the Magic - he dreamed it, believed it, conceived it, and nurtured it into a reality,” the Magic said in a statement.
Hewitt and co-founder Pat Williams had the vision to bring an NBA team to Orlando in 1986.
The Orlando Magic mourn the passing of Jimmy Hewitt.
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 29, 2020
Hewitt, an Orlando native, was the architect for the Magic - he dreamed it, believed it, conceived it, and nurtured it into a reality.
On Dec. 22, 1988, the NBA Board of Governors gave an expansion franchise to Orlando after the Magic sold their 10,000th season ticket, according to a news release from the team.
Hewitt played basketball at Edgewater High School, he earned a finance degree at Florida State University.
He is one of nine people in the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.