During his prime days with the Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard was considered one of, if not the, most dominant players in the entire NBA. Though he is slightly undersized at center, the man formerly dubbed ‘Superman’ had unreal athletic ability which allowed him to completely control the lane on both ends of the floor. Though he never really had a polished offensive repertoire, he was able to make up for it with his sky-walking dunks and elite rim protection.
Now at 31 years of age, Howard has undoubtedly regressed into what could be considered a shell of his former self. It’s not only Howard’s reduced athleticism that has slowed him down, but the heaps of criticism he has received over the years has likely factored into his decline as well.
Howard is one of the most polarizing professional basketball figures from our entire generation. Though he put up gaudy stats and even led the Orlando Magic deep into the playoffs more than once, his commitment to the game has been questioned time and time again. The assassination of his character became too much at one point that Howard actually considered retirement at the conclusion of his 2014-15 season with the Houston Rockets according to Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins:
At a low point with the Rockets, after the 2014–15 season, he considered retiring. The jolly giant who supposedly had too much fun on the floor was miserable. “The joy,” Howard says, “was sucked out of it.” But what would retirement accomplish? He had to change his life regardless of his occupation. So he did what his teenage self would have done. He saw a pastor.
It’s upsetting that a talent like Dwight Howard no longer found joy in the game he loved to the point where he was contemplating hanging it up for good before the age of 30. Howard did have some rough years after his ugly split with the Magic, going through disappointing stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and then the Rockets.
Last year he played for his hometown Atlanta Hawks but was dealt to the Charlotte Hornets earlier this offseason. Things are finally starting to get better for Howard as he revealed he is now in a better place ‘mentally, physically, and spiritually’ than he has been in years past. A fresh start with a playoff contender like the Charlotte Hornets should be what Howard needs for a mini career resurrection as he heads into his 14th professional campaign.
