Former Los Angeles Lakers star center Dwight Howard has not been in the NBA since 2022, but he is not stopping from calling out teams to potentially add him to their roster.
The latest team he called out is the Minnesota Timberwolves. In an Instagram reel posted by Enjoy Basketball, where Howard was playing a basketball quiz, Howard namedropped Anthony Edwards and asked him to add him to the Timberwolves for next season.
Howard even said that he can play as a backup for four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Rudy Gobert.
“Sorry A5. You don’t want to give me no more shoes,” Howard said to Edwards. “Now, put me on the team. I could back up Rudy Gobert.”
Props to Howard, as it is a justified wish. The Timberwolves only have two centers on their roster so far, namely Gobert and 20-year-old Rocco Zikarsky.
Minnesota Timberwolves Positioning Themselves As Championship Contender
GettyThe Minnesota Timberwolves are positioning themselves as championship contenders
The Timberwolves are just a month removed from pulling off a blockbuster trade that brought them former All-Star LaMelo Ball to play alongside Edwards in the backcourt. In exchange, however, the Timberwolves lost depth in the frontcourt, giving up Naz Reid, who had been the team’s backup center.
Howard, who is now 40 years old, could provide the team with veteran leadership and serviceable minutes off the bench as a reliever for Gobert.
Like Gobert, Howard can protect the rim and be a decent pick-and-roll defender. During his prime, Howard once won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in three consecutive seasons, spanning from 2009 to 2011 with the Orlando Magic before being traded to the Lakers.
Additionally, his defensive presence earned him five All-Defensive Team honors, and he led the league in rebounding five times and in blocks twice. While he was famous for carrying the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009, he ultimately captured his elusive NBA Championship in 2020 as a key frontcourt veteran for the Lakers led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Howard played for international and alternative basketball leagues overseas and in domestic specialty circuits such as in Taiwan, Puerto Rico, and in the Big 3 league.
Howard retired last March, declaring that the “game retired” him. However, an NBA opportunity could again open the doors for him to return to the sport and potentially contend for an NBA title with the Timberwolves.
Dwight Howard Reveals His Duty Now
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 17: Dwight Howard speaks onstage at the Above the Rim panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics)
Dwight Howard got candid in his retirement post on Instagram. He said that his current hope is to pay it forward to the next generation of basketball players.
“Woke up today on the 12th of this month and I figured it’s time to move on from Superman!” Howard wrote.
“But now Im taking off the cape and retiring from all basketball to pour into my family and give back to communities worldwide. I know some of you might think I thought he already ‘retired’ but I didn’t… the game retired me! I still had more left to give ! Yeah I did play professionally for 20 years and Im grateful to be able to say that but I can’t lie seeing these other players still going at it at age 40 inspired me to want to keep trying but now I believe my duty will be to pass it down to the next generation.”
This comes after Howard was officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in the Class of 2025, with the enshrinement ceremony held on September 6, 2025. He was joined in his induction class by fellow stars like former Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles.
Howard played for seven NBA teams during his NBA career such as the Orlando Magic, Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Ex-Lakers Star Makes Clear Statement For Timberwolves: ‘I Could Back Up Gobert’