Dwight Howard was recently inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and for good reason as the big man was one of the most dominant centers during his playing days.
Howard was a defensive force throughout his entire career, capturing three Defensive Player of the Year Awards as a member of the Orlando Magic. Howard even led the Magic to a Finals appearance in 2009, though they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
After an unsuccessful run across multiple teams, Howard found himself back in Los Angeles where he helped the storied franchise win the 2020 NBA Championship. Howard served a key role off the bench as the primary backup center to Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee, though he also started games in the playoff run.
While Howard established himself as one of the best centers to ever play, he actually grew up wanting to play like Lakers legend Magic Johnson, via Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson:
“Well see, I grew up playing point guard so I watched a lot of Magic Johnson tapes. I wanted to be Magic Johnson when I grew up and then I got to the 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade… It started to be Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan and thought that their intensity and that power forwards handle the ball and shoot; I loved it and so I wanted to pattern my game after them.”
Johnson was one of the few tall guards and playmakers during his era and he went on to have one of the best and most exciting careers of anyone in NBA history. Johnson proved that taller players didn’t always need to play in the post, so for someone like Howard that must have been eye-opening growing up.
Most young players start out playing guard before moving up positions as they grow, so it sounds like Howard followed the same track. Things worked out for him as he was able to leverage his size, athleticism, physicality and instincts to be a menace defensively.
Howard deserves more respect in NBA circles for his contributions and he even admitted that it was a slap in the face to not be named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. He might not have been a pure scorer, but his game on both ends spoke for itself.
Dwight Howard explains what happened with Lakers in 2020 offseason
Dwight Howard wanted to remain with the Lakers following the 2020 title, but he wound up signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency instead. Years later, Howard explained that he had a deal with L.A. on the table before they apparently took it off.
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