“Look at how life works. Pops, Mom, your son is in the Hall of Fame. And I’m able to be walked out here by some of the greatest NBA legends ever.” Dwight Howard, in his speech, paid respect to his parents for laying the foundation for his HOF career. He wasn’t lying about sharing the stage with NBA icons. The former NBA champion was escorted by Shaquille O’Neal, Dominique Wilkins, Robert Parish, and Patrick Ewing, four giants of the game. There was one legend who couldn’t be there at the event but had an immense influence on Howard’s career–Dennis Rodman.

Speaking about the impact of the Worm, DH12 spoke with Andy Bernstein before the enshrinement ceremony. “And that’s why the reason, you know, I chose Dennis, because later on in my career when I got to the Lakers, I just really had one job and it was that Dennis Rodman job.” On the Legends of Sports podcast, the 3x DPOY explained he took inspiration from Rodman in order to help the Lakers win the title in 19-20. Remember, it was his second stint, and much better than his previous one alongside Kobe Bryant.

This time, it was not a starting role, nor was he an offensive threat since LeBron James and Anthony Davis took the responsibility. But coming off the bench and playing 18.9 minutes on average, he knew his role. “Be the energy. You know, be that antagonist, the person that’s going to, you know, get in somebody’s head, you know, make somebody want to flip out. Just going to get every rebound.” Howard explained that in order to embrace the persona of the 5x NBA champion, he tried to copy some personality traits.

“So I dyed my hair purple a little bit. You know, I had got the locks. You know, I got this entire persona going. And, you know, Dennis Rodman is, you know, one of those people that he’s always let his personality show and flow, and he didn’t care what nobody said.” Coloring hair or wearing eccentric clothes, that was the style of Rodman, who never really cared if people questioned his output. Because on the hardwood, there was hardly any loose ball, he would miss a chance to pounce on.

The Bulls legend throughout his career was never an offensive threat. But always made sure to clean the glass at every opportunity he got. That’s why he is a 7x NBA rebounding champion. Dwight Howard, at his peak, averaged a double-double. But at the age of 34, when he joined the Lakers, that was not the team requirement. During that season, AD led the Lakers in rebounds with 9.3, and LeBron followed with 7.8. But remember, they were the starters. Howard, coming from the bench, averaged 7.3, the third highest on the team.

Dwight Howard even honored Dennis Rodman, even though the Bulls legend was absent from the Hall of Fame ceremony

Even when the news about the HOF was official, DH12 tweeted a few names to be his presenters. This was after Shaquille O’Neal accepted the request, bringing a closure to their long-standing beef. “Shaq appreciate you man it will be an honor to have you KG, DROD , Hakeem and Kareem walk me into the Basketball Heavens #hof 🙏🏾“. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Garnett, and Hakeem weren’t the final presenters on the stage, but Rodman’s name alongside Shaq was constant.

Even though Dennis Rodman retired even before Dwight Howard could come into the league, the legacy of the Worm was enough to inspire the 3x DPOY. In his speech, the former Lakers star stated, “Dennis Rodman, I know you couldn’t make it here today, but you are one of my favorite players of all time and the greatest rebounder ever. Watching you help me lead the league at five times, it made sure every time I dominated the glass.”

The gritty nature and intention of domination helped DH12 rack up 14,627 rebounds overall in his career. This also puts him #10 on the all-time list of rebounders in league history.