Getty Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers.
When you’re sharing the floor with LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis, touches will be tough to come by. However, Dwight Howard doesn’t care how often he touches the basketball. Instead, he wants the credit he feels his career deserves.
Speaking to Tyler R. Tynes for an exclusive interview with GQ, Howard discusses how the media currently portrays the Lakers. Or, more to the point, how some of the Lakers roster gets all the air time.
“I look at when ESPN highlights the Lakers: Obviously, they’re gonna show LeBron and Anthony Davis, or Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook. And me and Rajon Rondo are left out like we haven’t done great things in our career. Like we haven’t been amazing,” Howard told Tynes.
It’s not that Howard doesn’t feel like his teammates deserve the praise and attention, rather, he believes both himself and Rajon Rondo also belong in those conversations. During the interview, Howard continued to explain his point, “We’re always left out of certain things. I try not to look too deep into it, but that s*** be the case. We’ve done exceptional things in this league and still are. So, while we’re playing, we should get some praise for the hard work that we put in. I don’t want nobody to kiss my butt or nothin’ like that. But appreciation should go a long way, especially when people are alive.”
With this season being Howard’s third stop in Los Angeles, following a disastrous first spell and a second attempt that ended in a championship ring, the future Hall Of Fame big-man wants some recognition for his impact on the game and his career as a whole.
Howard Doesn’t Blame the Lakers.
As you traverse through the interview, it becomes clear that Howard’s issue doesn’t reside with the Lakers, nor is it with the teammates who get the additional attention. But, it’s clear he does feel undervalued by both the media and the league as a whole.
“People think I’m trying to blame the NBA for certain things, but I look at how certain things have happened in my career, and I know some of these things are not on me. I’ve watched how I rarely get talked about when they mention [the Lakers]. It’s like I’m an afterthought. Like damn,” Howard told Tynes when discussing his “Top 75” snub.
In his 18th season in the NBA, Howard is averaging 4.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 13.4 minutes of gameplay off the bench. Now aged 35, with his athleticism waning, Howard’s impact on the game comes from an understanding of the game, and a knowledge of where to be positioned on the floor, a career point many players of his ilk never reach.
On a Lakers team primarily comprised of aging stars, all chasing a final shot at glory, Howard is another piece of the puzzle. While his efforts aren’t getting the air time of fellow veteran Carmelo Anthony, his contributions to the team are just as significant.
Despite the Hurdles Howard’s Had a Hall of Fame Career
A former first overall draft selection in 2004, Howard has participated in 18 NBA seasons and has amassed regular-season numbers of almost 20,000 points, 14,350 rebounds, and 2,203 blocks across 1,199 games. And we three-quarters of the 2021-22 NBA season left to play; you can be sure those numbers will continue to rise.
Despite his 8 dominant years with the Orlando Magic, Howard could not cap his time there with a championship ring before spells with the Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers. However, it wasn’t until Howard’s second spell with the Lakers that he finally won a championship in what has come to be known as the NBA’s bubble season.
Howard currently sits 11th All-Time in total rebounds and 13th All-Time in total blocks, with plenty of time to surpass Nate Thurmond for the 10th spot in All-Time rebounds by the end of the season, per ESPN.
Regardless of the current media attention and how his teammates currently get more recognition than he does, Howard is undoubtedly a future NBA Hall Of Fame player, and it’s that legacy that will mean more to him when all is said and done. But of course, if the Lakers can figure out their rough start to the season and challenge for another championship, it’s doubtful Howard wouldn’t consider what is possibly his final season a success.