It’s not often that Magic fans inside Kia Center cheer for an opposing player.
But Saturday night was different.
That’s because Markelle Fultz — who spent five seasons with the Orlando franchise — is different.
Upon his first return to Central Florida as a member of the Kings, Fultz was greeted with a warm welcome by all involved.
During the first stoppage of the first quarter against Sacramento, the Magic played a 58-second long video honoring his time spent with the team. Coach Jamahl Mosley made sure Fultz received a special shout-out from the public address announcer when the 6-4 guard checked into the game for the first time in the second quarter.
Even with the Kings trailing by 35 points in the fourth, a handful of Magic fans sitting behind the scorer’s table pleaded with Sacramento interim coach Doug Christie to re-insert Fultz back into the game after he only played four minutes in the first half.
They, of course, cheered when Christie conceded and in 14 minutes, Fultz totaled 6 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals against his former team.
He’d be lying if he said he didn’t get some joy out of the overall experience.
“I’ve been here for five years so it’s somewhere near and dear to my heart,” Fultz told reporters in the visitors’ locker room prior to tip-off. “To be able to have the opportunity here to come back and play, it’s dope. Seeing familiar faces, guys that I’ve built relationships with over those years, whether it’s players or coaches, it’s good to see them.
“It’s good to be on the other side,” he added. “It’s good to talk a little trash, play, go out there and compete, but at the end of the day, it’s love. It’s a lifetime relationship that I have with these guys.”
The feeling inside the Orlando locker room is mutual for Fultz, who remained unsigned until he joined Sacramento for the remainder of the season in mid-February.
“It was just great to see him,” Magic forward Paolo Banchero said in the locker room after Orlando beat the Kings by 30 points. “I’ve texted back and forth with him a couple times throughout the course of the season. [I] was one of the first people to congratulate him when he got signed.
“Just to see him over there running up and down the floor, playing, it’s awesome,” Banchero added. “It was good to have him back in Orlando. [I’m] glad they made a video tribute for him because I really do think he played a huge part in turning this thing around the last few years.”
Magic guard Cole Anthony couldn’t believe ...
