Dwight Howard

Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN).

He began his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Howard, who plays center, spent his high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.

He chose to forgo college, entered the 2004 NBA draft, and was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic.

Howard set numerous franchise and league records with the Magic.

As a senior, Howard led his team to a 31–2 record and the 2004 state title, while averaging 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game.

The same year, he was widely recognized as the best American high school basketball player, and received the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald's National High School Player of the Year honor.

He was also co-MVP (with J. R. Smith) of the McDonald's All-American Game that year.

Following his high school successes, Howard chose to forego college and declared for the 2004 NBA draft—a decision partly inspired by his idol Kevin Garnett who had done the same in 1995—where the Orlando Magic selected him first overall over UConn junior Emeka Okafor.

He took the number 12 for his jersey, in part because it was the reverse of Garnett's 21 when he played for Minnesota.

Howard joined a depleted Magic squad that had finished with only 21 victories the previous season; further, the club had just lost perennial NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady.

Howard, however, made an immediate impact.

He finished his rookie season with an average of 12 points and 10 rebounds, setting several NBA records in the process.

He became the youngest player in NBA history to average a double double in the regular season.

He also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 10 rebounds in a season and youngest NBA player ever to record at least 20 rebounds in a game.

Howard's importance to the Magic was highlighted when he became the first player in NBA history directly out of high school to start all 82 games during his rookie season.

For his efforts, he was selected to play in the 2005 NBA Rookie Challenge, and was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team.

He also finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Howard reported to camp for his second NBA season having added 20 pounds of muscle during the off-season.

Orlando coach Brian Hill—responsible for grooming former Magic superstar Shaquille O'Neal—decided that Howard should be converted into a full-fledged center.

Hill identified two areas where Howard needed to improve: his post-up game and his defense.

He exerted extra pressure on Howard, saying that the Magic would need him to emerge as a force in the middle before the team had a chance at the playoffs.

On November 15, 2005, in a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Howard recorded 21 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to score 20 or more points and gather 20 or more rebounds in the same game.

He was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the 2006 Rookie Challenge during the All-Star break.

Overall, he averaged 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, ranking second in the NBA in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds, and double-doubles and sixth in field goal percentage.

Despite Howard's improvement, the Magic finished the season with a 36–46 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season since Howard's arrival.

In the 2006–07 season (and for the third consecutive season), Howard played in all 82 regular-season games.

On February 1, 2007, he received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.

He led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals.

In 2012, after eight seasons with Orlando, Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he spent three separate one year-stints over the course of his career, winning the NBA Finals in 2020.

He has also played for the Houston Rockets, the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Washington Wizards, and the Philadelphia 76ers.

After playing with the Lakers in 2021–22, Howard moved overseas and signed with the Taiwanese-based Leopards.

In his first season with the team, he was named a T1 All-Star.

Howard was born in Atlanta, to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard, a family with strong athletic connections.

His father is a Georgia State Trooper and is the athletic director at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, a private academy with one of the country's best high school basketball programs; his mother played on the inaugural women's basketball team at Morris Brown College.

Howard's mother had seven miscarriages before he was born.

A devout Christian since his youth, Howard became serious about basketball around the age of nine.

Despite his large frame, Howard was quick and versatile enough to play the guard position.

He attended Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy and played mostly as power forward, averaging 16.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.3 blocks per game in 129 appearances.

On January 31, 2012, Howard was honored as one of the 35 greatest McDonald's All-Americans.