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New Philadelphia 76ers big man Dwight Howard is no stranger to big playoff moments in raucous environments. He has had plenty of them throughout his 16-year NBA career.
Howard actually experienced some of the more passionate fan bases in the NBA in 2009 when he was with the Orlando Magic. The 3 seed Magic were taking on the 6 seed Sixers in Round 1 of the playoffs and he had to battle not only the Sixers, but also their crowd.
“I remember we played the 76ers in the playoffs a while back while I was in Orlando and the energy from the city was crazy,” he said with a smile. “I was like ‘Man, I wonder what it would feel like to play on the other side’, but man, it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed Philadelphia.”
Philadelphia gave Orlando a battle in 2009. They received a game-winner from Andre Iguodala in Game 1 and then Thaddeus Young in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, but the Magic then kicked it into high gear to eliminate Philadelphia in six games.
Howard’s teammate at the time was Jameer Nelson who is now a scout for the Sixers organization. Nelson grew up in nearby Chester and he went to Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia so Howard is familiar with the city a bit due to his teammate.
“My first teammate, Jameer Nelson, he’s from Chester and I’ve been down there a couple times and it’s crazy that I’m in Philly,” Howard continued. “I didn’t know that my journey after being in the NBA for so long and seeing the fan base from the visitor side, I’m just so excited to see it from the home side, to have the Philly fans behind me and the team. I’m really looking forward to that moment.”
Now that he will be rocking the Sixers colors and he will be looking to help this young team take the next step, the fan base will be rooting for him rather than booing him. [lawrence-related id=39582,39578,39575]