Amway Arena memorabilia, from deodorant to carpet, on auction block

By SAM GARDNER
FOXSportsFlorida.com Magic writer
Feb. 11, 2011

Since the opening of the lavish Amway Center in October, the old Amway Arena has become nothing more than a vacant house for memories. But many of those memories hold a special significance in the hearts of those around Central Florida.

It was there where Dwight Howard famously dunked over Tim Duncan to beat the Spurs at the buzzer, and where Scott Skiles dished out 30 assists. Nick Anderson famously stole the ball from Michael Jordan on the O-Rena's parquet floor, and Tracy McGrady set the franchise scoring record within those hallowed halls.

The Magic twice raised the Eastern Conference Championship trophy on the Amway Arena floor, and they won their first Finals game there in 2009.

It's also the home of Stan Van Gundy's locker — complete with hairbrush and deodorant stick — which, while perhaps less impressive than a conference championship, can be yours for the right price.

The locker is one of many items up for bid this weekend for fans and collectors looking to take home a sentimental piece of arguably the most meaningful building in Orlando history.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, the Magic and the city of Orlando will hold a public auction of the contents of the 375,000-square-foot Amway Arena, including thousands of one-of-a-kind pieces of Magic memorabilia.

The items up for bidding range from furniture, electronics and restaurant supplies to game-used equipment and signed Magic collectibles.

One of the most original items up for auction is a dry-erase board from the Magic locker room, complete with head coach Stan Van Gundy's handwritten notes and stats from last year's Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. There is a second Van Gundy dry-erase board also up for auction — a larger one that includes blank templates for drawing up plays and spaces designated for his offensive and defensive keys.

Fans can buy the training tables and whirlpools from the team's training room — also known as the 'Grant Hill Room' — as well as the carpet, Gatorade coolers and even the lockers and chairs from the old Magic locker room.

And yes, you really can bid on Van Gundy's locker and contents, along with all of the office equipment from his space at the Amway Arena.

But if you're looking to add Howard's locker to your memorabilia collection, you're out of luck. His was sold for charity a couple of months ago.

Fans can bid on Spalding ball racks (useful when training for the slam dunk contest), the arena's game-used baskets and even — if you've got the cash and the space — the arena's enormous JumboTron scoreboard.

The arena's seats are also up for auction, but think before you bid, because the chairs don't have front legs.

Looking for posters, hats, jerseys and photos? Those are up for grabs as well.

Of course, if you're not a Magic fan, there's probably something at the auction for you, too.

Included among the various items up for bidding is memorabilia from the many teams of Amway Arena lore — including the Orlando Solar Bears, Orlando Titans and Orlando Miracle — as well as a number of concert posters (no room is complete without a Nickelback banner) and relics from other special events from the past 20 years (John Cena would want you to have a WrestleMania XXIV flag for your bedroom).

The Amway Arena — or the O-Rena, for Orlando purists (or the TD Waterhouse Centre, for those who jumped on the bandwagon somewhere in between) — wasn't around long, but it hosted an impressive collection of outstanding events, and Saturday will offer a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help its legacy live on.

A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation. Fans who can't make it to the arena for Saturday's event can find out more about Saturday's auction and bid online during a live webcast of the event at www.hgpauction.com.

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