ORLANDO, Fla. — Here we are in the midst of the 10th season since he clumsily and foolishly left Central Florida, and Dwight Howard is still paying the price for his bitter divorce from the Orlando Magic.
Shouldn’t there be a statute of limitations on petulance?
Shouldn’t there be an expiration date on arrogance?
Should he still be getting penalized simply because he became a trailblazer in pouting and sulking your way out of town; a strategy that has become all the rage for disgruntled NBA superstars of today?
I can’t believe I’m about to say what I’m about to say, but …
I feel bad for Dwight Howard.
I feel he has been robbed of his place in history.
I feel the NBA has done him a monumental injustice.
You see, the NBA unveiled its complete 75th Anniversary Team a few days ago, and shamefully Dwight was not on it.
Howard, now a 35-year-old journeyman center for the Lakers, took to social media and called the NBA’s snub “disrespectful.”
Says an adamant Lakers coach Frank Vogel: “Dwight should for sure be on the list. For sure.”
Says legendary Magic broadcaster David Steele, who watched every game Dwight played in Orlando: “As a player, there’s no question in my mind that Dwight belongs on that list. I can look at that list and pick at least eight or 10 players and say, ‘How in the world are they on the list instead of Dwight?’ ”
I understand that it’s extremely difficult for a panel of former players, executives, coaches and journalists to narrow down 75 years of NBA history to a list of 75 players. Many great players were left off, including other former Magic alumni such as Tracy McGrady, Penny Hardaway and Vince Carter. But leaving Dwight off the list is the biggest snub since Lionel Richie’s “Can’t Slow Down” won the 1985 Grammy for Album of the Year over Prince’s “Purple Rain” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”
I have nothing against Lionel Richie just as I have nothing against Anthony Davis, but putting Davis on the 75th Anniversary Team ahead of Dwight is laughable.
Dwight carried the Magic to the NBA Finals; Davis carried the New Orleans Pelicans to five losing seasons in seven years with the franchise. Dwight was the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year with the Magic; Davis has never won that award. Dwight led the league in rebounding five times; Davis never has. Dwight has been named to more All-NBA teams than Davis (8 to 4) and has more career points, rebounds and blocks.
In my mind, the only reason Dwight is not on the All-75 team instead of guys like Davis and Damian Lillard (never reached the NBA Finals and has fewer All-NBA selections than Dwight) is because of what became of Dwight’s tattered image after he left the Magic.
Even though Davis forced his way out of New Orleans much like Dwight did in Orlando, he did not get barbecued by fans and media like Dwight did. Maybe because Davis wanted to get traded to the ultra-popular Lakers so he could join LeBron whereas Dwight objected to getting traded to the Lakers to join Kobe. Or maybe because Davis hasn’t turned into the egotistical jerk that Dwight became.
At any rate, Dwight went from one of the league’s most popular players in Orlando to the league’s biggest heel in the years after he left the Magic. Without a major scandal or crime involved, I’ve never seen an athlete’s reputation go from the penthouse to the outhouse so quickly. It was truly amazing to watch Dwight go from beloved to belittled; from revered to reviled.
In Orlando, the exuberant, fun-loving, smiling Dwight set an NBA record with more than 3 million All-Star votes one season and had national endorsements with Gatorade, adidas, McDonald’s, T-Mobile and the monster video game “Call of Duty.” Ironically, he wanted to leave Orlando to build his brand in a bigger market; instead his brand self-destructed and he became an unwanted NBA vagabond.
Isn’t it sad that Dwight and the Magic still have never really recovered from their divorce? After what will almost certainly be another sub .500 season this year, the Magic will have had nine losing seasons in the 10 years since Dwight left. Meanwhile, Dwight’s image is so tarnished that it has cost him his rightful spot in NBA history.
A decade later, the Dwightmare lives on.
