Dwight Howard made a bold move back in 2004—he skipped college altogether and jumped straight into the NBA, becoming the No. 1 draft pick that very year. From that moment, his career skyrocketed, and now, he’s finally being honored with a spot in the Naismith Hall of Fame. But looking back, it’s clear it wasn’t just about the fame and the trophies.  At 19, he was a teenager, navigating high school finals, not Hall of Fame comparisons. At 19, when all he had to worry about was grades and not carrying the weight of a basketball legacy.

Lakers fans might mostly remember Dwight Howard as a key role player on that 2020 championship team or as an All-Star during the 2012-13 season. But before all that, Dwight’s legendary run started with the Orlando Magic, where he made his mark. He snagged three straight DPOYs from 2009 to 2011 and led the league in blocks twice. Standing at 6-foot-10, he also took home the Slam Dunk Contest title in 2008 and led the league in rebounds five times—four with Orlando and once with the Lakers. Now, as he’s being honored by the 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee, you can tell those early days and that journey still mean a lot to him.

Howard became visibly emotional while reflecting on skipping college. He opened up on The Lou Young Show about how, even though he was the No. 1 pick, he kept quiet about his future because he knew that once he crossed that graduation stage, his life would change forever. “I knew this was going to be my last time I was going to be able to like a kid,” he said, capturing that bittersweet moment perfectly.

Howard admitted how tough it was to realize that the fun and freedom of being a teenager were over. He felt the weight of suddenly being treated like a grown man, a “mature business basketball player,” when inside, he was still “a kid, big a– kid.” The hardest part, he said, was knowing his life was about to be under a microscope, and that he wouldn’t know who his real friends were anymore.

He remembered June 2004: riding in a Honda Civic with classmates en route to the library. Tears welling as he realized they’d head to college while he’d suit up for Magic practice, Dwight was moved to tears. As he put it, “It brought me to tears cuz I’m like, ‘Dang I’m going to miss all this.”. Well, it’ll all be worth it when Dwight Howard steps onto that Hall of Fame stage later this year, joining legends like Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, and more.

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard squashed their beef – or did they?

The jabs between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard have been a constant reminder to fans that their “Superman” beef was never just about a nickname—it ran deep. From passive-aggressive shots on TV to side-by-side stat comparisons on social media, they’ve spent years keeping the feud alive. Even when Howard won a ring with the Lakers in the 2020 NBA Bubble and shared an emotional Instagram Live, Shaq couldn’t resist throwing shade: “You’ve got to stay in your role… I ain’t going to say no names.” The tension wasn’t subtle—it was legacy-level.

But earlier this year, something shifted. Dwight extended an olive branch and asked Shaq to walk him out during his Hall of Fame induction. “I don’t have no hate in my heart for nobody,” he said. “The only thing I would say is just to show love. We too old to be beefing.” Shaq agreed—no quotes, no cameras, just support. On The Big Podcast with Shaq, he even called Howard “my guy.” For a moment, it felt like the long-running cold war had finally thawed.

Then came this week, and a scene fans didn’t miss. Dwight filled in for Shaq on Inside the NBA, and when Shaq returned the next day, he walked right to the desk and wiped it down like it needed a full-on detox. No explanation, no eye contact, just vibes. Naturally, it set off alarms across social media. Was the truce ever real? Maybe. Maybe not. But whatever’s going on, Dwight’s not standing alone at the Hall. “Possibly Patrick Ewing and Kevin McHale,” he shared on The Lou Young Show. “These are guys that coached me outside of Shaq.” Add Dennis Rodman and Kevin Garnett to that list, and you’ve got a Hall of Fame escort squad—even if one seat at the table still feels a little cold.

At the end of the day, Dwight Howard’s Hall of Fame induction isn’t just about basketball stats or big names on stage—it’s about the kid who gave up his childhood to chase something bigger. Now, standing at the finish line of a Hall of Fame career, he’s looking back at that wide-eyed teenager who quietly knew his world was about to change forever.