Darth Vader art tops Vucevic’s gift list

If you joined the Orlando Magic for their game-day shootaround Tuesday morning, you would’ve heard singing.

Off-key singing, maybe. But still singing.

rookies

and “Happy enlisted

to sing Birthday” to

who turned 27 years old Tuesday.

“That was nice,” Vucevic said after the Magic finished prepping for their game against the Brooklyn Nets.

Vucevic is closer to 30 than 20 now, but like many people his age (and older), he still loves Star Wars.

Asked if there are any Star Wars-themed gifts he’d enjoy, he had a ready answer: a model of the Millennium Falcon that Lego just released. It consists of 7,541 pieces and is billed as the “largest, most detailed” model of

freighter that Lego has ever created. “I’d like to get a nice

painting,” Vucevic added. “But those are hard to find, too. They usually make only one or two, and they make replicas. So that probably would be number one: a nice painting that somebody made of Darth Vader.

“If you find me the painting, I’ll pay for it,” Vucevic said, smiling. “I’ll still count it as a gift.”

Alas, Vucevic said he doesn’t have a Darth Vader costume. Since Vucevic is 7 feet tall, most of the outfits are too small for him, which is ironic, since Darth Vader towered over everyone. But Vucevic does own a Darth Vader mask; when you speak into it, it turns your voice into the voice of the Sith lord.

Vucevic also owns a lightsaber — a toy lightsaber, that is, not a genuine lightsaber, since those don’t exist in real life.

“I’m a bit of a geek,” Vucevic said. “I use it a lot at night when we go to sleep to scare my wife.”

Vucevic’s Magic friends know all about his Star Wars fandom.

“I actually am a big fan as well, so I can’t say anything,” said. “I’m just as big of a fan of Star Wars.”

Of course, if you think Vucevic spent his entire summer watching Star Wars movies, think again.

He worked on his 3-point shooting, and he carried a scoring average of 27.7 points per game into Tuesday’s matchup against the Nets.

returned to the Magic’s starting lineup Tuesday, after he missed the preceding two games due to a sore left ankle.

The Magic on Tuesday debuted a patch on their jerseys to honor

the wife of team owner who died on Oct. 18 at age 90. The letters HDV appeared in white along a black patch between players’ necks and left shoulders. The team will wear the patches throughout the remainder of the season.