Jacksonville’s David Steele, who spent 37 seasons as the play-by-play voice of Orlando Magic basketball, both on television and radio, has announced his retirement.
“I can’t thank the DeVos family and the Orlando Magic organization enough for what they have provided to me and my family,” Steele said. “When I interviewed with Pat Williams back in 1988, I never dreamed it would play out this way. Now it is time for me to put the microphone down and spend time with my family. It’s been an honor to represent the Orlando Magic and I am forever grateful.”
“You can’t have a memory of Orlando Magic basketball without David Steele’s voice being a part of it,” said Orlando Magic Chairman Dan DeVos. “David handled everything with professionalism and class, and he will forever be entrenched in this franchise’s history. ‘Is This Anything?’ We’d say David was EVERYTHING to the Orlando Magic. We wish him and his family nothing but the best.”
Steele was named television play-by-play voice for the Magic in March 1998 and spent 28 seasons in that role, after handling radio play-by-play duties for the team’s first nine seasons (1989-98). In addition, Steele was also involved in ancillary television and radio programming for the team, as well as emceeing many other organizational events.
The former voice of the University of Florida, Steele arrived in Orlando in 1989 after serving as network coordinator and football/basketball play-by-play announcer for the Gators for seven seasons.
One of the premier broadcasters in the industry, Steele was named Florida Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association twice, winning the honor in both 2009 and 2021.
In 1980, Steele earned the Ray Reeve Award as TV Sportscaster of the Year in North Carolina. He also won the Best Play-By-Play in Florida award from the Florida Sportscasters Association in 1984. Then in February 2019, Steele was the eighth person inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Steele’s professional broadcasting career began in 1975, as sports director at WJHG-TV in Panama City, Fla. He also served as sports director at WLOS-TV in Asheville, NC, and was the football/basketball play-by-play announcer at Western Carolina University.
Steele has also served as a past president of the Florida Sportscasters Association. He and his wife, Sally, reside in Orlando. They have three children, Luke, Emily and Betsy, and eight grandchildren.
In addition, the Orlando Magic have named Dante Marchitelli (mark-eh-TELL-ee) as the team’s new play-by-play television announcer. He enters his 28th season with the organization, has served as studio host/sideline reporter since 2008 and has performed play-by-play duties for select games for the last three seasons (2023-26).
“I am beyond grateful to the DeVos family and the Orlando Magic organization for this wonderful opportunity,” said Marchitelli. “Working with David Steele for the past 20 years has been the highlight of my career. He is an absolute legend and I can’t thank him enough for everything he has taught me along the way. This is a dream come true and I’m looking forward to continuing my connection with Orlando Magic fans everywhere.”
Marchitelli began his career with the Magic in 1998 as a radio intern. He was hired full-time in January 2000 as radio producer, working behind the scenes on every broadcast for the Magic Radio Network. Marchitelli was promoted in 2005 to radio manager and also served as radio sideline reporter. He was named assistant director of broadcasting in July 2017, then promoted to director of broadcasting and alumni relations in July 2023. During his time with the Magic, Marchitelli has served as co-host of various ancillary programs on television, radio and the team’s social media accounts.
Marchitelli earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations/advertising from Liberty University in 1998. A native of Woburn, Mass., he and his wife, Lana, reside in Windermere and have two daughters, Olivia and Allison.
The Orlando Magic will announce their broadcast plans for the 2026-27 season in the near future.
