The Dwight Howard Sob Story Retold

Dwight Howard is one of those names in sports that has truly lost its glory in the past few years. Once a force to be reckoned with, Howard is now one of the most scrutinised athletes in the world. Maybe there’s something about athletes hitting 30 that ticks off critics and journalists alike, maybe not.

Howard came into the NBA straight out of high school as the number one overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft. Even as a rookie, he made his presence felt on the court. He’s averaged a double-double every season, right from his rookie year in Orlando to his stint in Atlanta.

Howard’s Orlando days were truly magical. In his 8 years in Orlando, he became a 3X back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year from 2009 to 2011, 4X rebounds leader and a 2X blocks leader. Howard’s Magic overcame LeBron’s Cavaliers and defending champions Boston Celtics in 2009 playoffs to reach the NBA Finals. He has a stellar playoffs record from his ten playoff appearances, something the other great players of our generation(CP3 and Melo) have yet to achieve.

His single season in LA was where the seeds of his decline were sown. He was coming off an injury ridden season from Orlando to play for a team that sported names like Kobe and Steve Nash. He still averaged 17 and 12 that season but maybe the on and off-court issues were too much for that truly star-studded team.

LA to Houston. Howard averaged 18 and 12 his first season with the Rockets before upping it to 26 points, 13 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks in 6 playoff games. If somebody wants to know what this guy could do, just have a look at his playoff numbers. The next season, he helped the Rockets reach the Western conference finals despite missing most of the regular season due to back issues. His third season in Houston, Rockets’ performance plummeted so bad they couldn’t get out of the first round of the playoffs.

Houston to Home. After three failed attempts at something big, Howard headed to Atlanta, his hometown. It was a decent last season for the The Daily Double. Howard did live up to his nickname giving a fair 13 points and 12 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, Hawks is not a very good playoff team and they finally decided to do some rebuilding. Ergo, He was traded to Charlotte Hornets.

Here we are. Howard has Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum as his teammates. Hornets is a borderline 8th seed and will look to make the playoffs this year in a weaker eastern conference. Howard is 31 years old at the moment which is not too bad. If fortune favours him and he manages to stay healthy, he still has a good three seasons left in him. The real question – Will Charlotte be another checkbox for Howard?

Say what you will about Dwight Howard but he is the last of his kind left in the NBA – a true centre. That might not exactly fit in with the current position-less basketball being played but he sure is a joy to watch. He is right up there with the likes of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. So enjoy Dwight Howard as long as you can, for his kind might be extinct very soon.