After 18 seasons in the NBA, Dwight Howard seems to be nearing the end of his career.
He is coming off his third stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, but about a month into free agency, he remains unsigned.
In his heyday, Howard was a monster defensively and on the boards, and he wasn’t a bad scoring threat either.
He won three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards and led the league in rebounds per game five times and blocks per game twice.
As he is forced to ponder the next phase of his life, it seems Howard thinks he belongs in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Via Lakers Daily:
“It’s easy to forget, but Howard once made it to eight straight All-Star Games. He also helped lead the Orlando Magic to an NBA Finals appearance in 2009.
“For all those accomplishments and more, Howard believes he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame when his time comes.
“He said as much during a recent radio appearance.”
Dwight Howard believes he is a Hall of Famer: "It’s not up to me. But I think one day I’ll get the recognition that I deserve. Until then I’m going to continue to get better, continue to smile and continue to enjoy life.”
– Via Scoop B Radio pic.twitter.com/NNGRqHT7GU
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, M.A. (@ScoopB) July 27, 2022
In addition to his most obvious accomplishments, Howard has been named to five All-Defensive and eight All-NBA teams.
The cherry on the top was playing a key role in the Lakers winning the 2020 NBA championship after swallowing his ego and accepting a diminished role off the bench.
After he retires, Howard absolutely deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and it would be very surprising if he doesn’t get in.
