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The Orlando Magic on Tuesday made a major announcement regarding the Lakeland Magic, their NBA G League affiliate which will begin play in the 2017/18 season.
Anthony Parker will serve as Lakeland’s general manager, while Stan Heath will serve as its coach.
“With Anthony and Stan, we have established solid basketball leadership for our G League team in Lakeland,” said Jeff Weltman, the Magic’s President of Basketball Operations, in a press release. “Having our G League team closely aligned and in unison with the parent club is vital to our success. Bringing Anthony and Stan on board to guide those operations and lead that group will be of great value to us.”
Parker has served in the Magic’s scouting department for the last five seasons, following a 15-year professional career, including nine in the NBA. He had a cup of coffee with Orlando’s 1999/2000 Heart and Hustle team, making 16 appearances and averaging 3.6 points per game.
Heath, for his part, has been an assistant coach with Boston College for the last two seasons. He has head-coaching experience at Kent State, Arkansas, and South Florida.
The Lakeland Magic’s inaugural season follows a three-year hybrid affiliation with the Erie BayHawks, an outlet Orlando rarely used given the sheer distance between the two cities. In that arrangement, the Magic managed the BayHawks’ basketball operations department while a separate ownership group ran the business.
But the Magic own their new G League club outright, a key difference which should make easier the task of evaluating pro prospects and, if necessary, shuttling them to the parent club.