Dwight Howard

High School Career

Howard attended the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy for high school education and in his four years there, he played mostly as a power forward.

In high school, Howard’s career saw 16.6 points per game along with 13.4 rebounds and 6.3 blocks per game. In his senior year in 2004, he took his team to the state championship title scoring 25 points per game with 18 rebounds per game and 8 blocks per game along the way.

Howard became widely known as the best high school basketball player in the United States of America. He was presented with the Naismith Prep Player of the Year award, and the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year award and was also named the MVP of the McDonald’s High School All-American Game.

Professional Career

In lieu of this performance, Howard decided to register himself for the NBA Draft in a move that was said to be inspired by his idol, Kevin Garnett. Like KG, Howard fulfilled a dream that he had since he was 9 years old, of being selected as the first pick in the NBA Draft.

The Orlando Magic picked Howard first overall in the 2004 NBA Draft and Howard was part of a roster that had just won 21 games the season before and had lost Tracy McGrady, their only star. Howard came with a purpose and showed his true worth in his rookie year. 12.0 points per game along with 10.0 rebounds per game were the stepping stones for the numerous records that he set in his first year.

Howard became the youngest player ever to average a double-double in a regular season while also becoming the youngest to average at least 10.0 rebounds per game. He also became the youngest ever to achieve 20 rebounds or more in a single game.

And he was also the only player ever to come out of high school, join the NBA, and play all 82 games of their rookie season, in starting position.

Howard was picked for the 2005 Rookie Challenge and was selected to the All-Rookie Team. He finished third behind Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, in the run-up to the Rookie of the Year award. Howard entered the second season with renewed roles and put on more muscle to play as a center with the Magic.

In a game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Howard in his new position became the youngest player to score more than 20 points and grab 20 or more rebounds in a single game. He averaged 15.8 points per game while in rebounds, he was at 12.5 per game.

Howard was also ranked second in the NBA in terms of rebounds per game, double-doubles, and offensive rebounds.

In the 2006-07 Season, Howard was selected to the All-Star team as a reserve on the Eastern Conference team. He finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. He, later, helped the Magic qualify for the Playoffs for the first time since 2003 but failed to get past the Pistons in the first round despite Howard averaging 17.6 ppg and 12.3 rpg. Howard was named to the All-NBA third team at the end of the season.

In 2007-08, Howard made a deeper impact, this time getting selected to the starting lineup of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. He ended the season with a league-high 69 double-doubles and had 8 occasions of scoring 20 points and 20 rebounds in a single game. He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and also led the Magic to their first divisional title in 12 years. He only managed to get the team to the second round in the playoffs and despite stellar performances, the Pistons prevailed.

In the 2008-2009 Season, Howard helped [[Orlando Magic] to its second-straight Southeast Division title and they also became the third see for the 2009 playoffs. Magic went on to play in the Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers but eventually lost the series in Game 5 despite Howard’s best efforts.

Howard was chosen as the starting center in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game for the East in January 2010. Magic also appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to Bolton Celtics. Howard became the first player to lead the league in blocks and rebounds within the same season for two consecutive years.

He continued to make career high in points and also upped his defensive game. The 2011-2012 Season marked his final season with the Magic.

He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2012-2013 Season but he had to take several months off due to surgery. While he returned to play for the rest of the season, a new shoulder injury hampered his performance.

In 2013, Howard officially transferred to the Houston Rockets where he played at the power forward position and back again to center when Omer Asik suffered from constant injuries. While still hampered by his injuries, Howard shot 10-of-10 and became the first Rockets player to make 10 or most field goals with no misses.

Howard transferred again on July 12, 2016, and signed with the Atlanta Hawks. He became the leader in blocked shots and rebounds. The Hawks traded Howard to the Charlotte Hornets in June 2017 and he finished his season with the team through 53 double-doubles, a new franchise record.

In July 2018, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets and was waved upon being acquired. Shortly after, Howard signed with the Washington Wizards on July 12, 2018.

In 2019, he signed with the Lakers for the second time. Then he transferred to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020 before returning to the Lakers in 2021.

In 2022, he started playing in Taiwan and signed with the Taoyuan Leopards.

Career Highlights

• 2020 - NBA champion
• 2007–2014 - NBA All-Star
• 2008–2012 - All-NBA First Team
• 2014 - All-NBA Second Team
• 2007, 2013 - All-NBA Third Team
• 2009–2011 - NBA Defensive Player of the Year
• 2009–2012 - NBA All-Defensive First Team
• 2008 - NBA All-Defensive Second Team
• 2005 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
• 2008–2010, 2012, 2013 - NBA rebounding leader
• 2009, 2010 - NBA blocks leader
• 2008 - NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion
• 2023 - T1 League Most Valuable Import
• 2023 - All-T1 League First Team
• 2023 - T1 League All-Defensive First Team
• 2023 - T1 League rebounds leader
• 2023 - T1 League All-Star (2023)
• 2023 - T1 League All-Star Game Most Famous Player

• 2023 - T1 League All-Star Game MVP

• 2004 - Naismith Prep Player of the Year
• 2004 - McDonald’s All-American Game Co-MVP
• 2004 - First-team Parade All-American
• 2004 - Mr. Georgia Basketball

Medal record, Men’s basketball, Representing the United States

• Gold - 2008 Olympic Games Beijing
• Bronze - 2006 FIBA World Championship Japan
• Gold - 2007 FIBA Americas Championship Las Vegas