There is a long list of some of the most dominant big men to ever step foot in the NBA and for a while, the player who carried that title was Dwight Howard. Coming into the league straight out of high school and being the first overall pick of the Orlando Magic in 2004, Howard was an absolute physical force on the court who dominated the paint.
While his best years statistically came with the Magic, it was with the Los Angeles Lakers where Howard would achieve his ultimate goal, being a major part of the team’s 2020 run to the NBA Championship, making good after a failed one-year stint with the franchise back in 2012.
Even though he hasn’t appeared in the NBA since 2022 with the Lakers, Howard had continued to play overseas as well as participating in some exhibition games and tournaments. But that is no more as Howard took to social media to officially announce his retirement from the game of basketball on Thursday morning:
Woke up today on the 12th of this month and I figured it’s time to move on from Superman! Im no super human… I cry ! I struggle! I feel like everyone else. Through the lies, the media and the hate I still show love and Smile Through The Storm.
But now Im taking off the cape and… pic.twitter.com/SyZQAcAeLq
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) March 12, 2026
Howard choosing the 12th day of the month to make this announcement was no accident as he wore the number 12 throughout most of his career and, as he noted in his announcement, will be visiting cities around the world on the 12th of each month to do random acts of kindness for people everywhere.
His personality may have rubbed some the wrong way, which seems to have resulted in his accomplishments getting a bit overlooked, but make no mistake, Howard was the premier big man of his era, and one of the best ever. He was recognized as such with his 2025 induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards, five straight All-NBA First Team selections and eight straight All-Star appearances just scratch the surface of what Howard did at his peak.
He was an absolute beast on the court and the Lakers don’t win the 2020 NBA Championship without his contributions. And now he can devote all of his time to his family and making people smile around the world.
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