Every superstar in the history of the NBA eventually goes through a transition from having to be one of the more important players on the team to just filling a role. It is how that player handles the transition that defines him.
Philadelphia 76ers veteran big man Dwight Howard was once of the best players in the game regardless of position. While with the Orlando Magic, he was a dominant player and was, by far, the best center in the league for quite some time.
However, Father Time is undefeated and he caught up to Howard. He is no longer that guy who is going to lead a team to the NBA Finals as he did in 2009 or even the All-Star he once was with the Houston Rockets.
“Coming into the league, I understood that the Magic gave me an opportunity to be the focal point of the team and I blossomed in it,” Howard stated. “As a player, I felt like I’ve done a lot of things individually, but winning a championship was something that I always wanted.”
Before winning a title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Howard was just incredible. He won Defensive Player of the Year three times, he was an 8-time All-Star, and he led the league in blocks twice.
However, when he realized that he could no longer do those things, he accepted a role on the Lakers and he helped the team win a title.
“Before the season started with the Lakers last year, I just promised myself that whatever I had to do for the team, I’ll be willing to do and I know that there’s always been a perception about who people think I am and my character on and off the floor,” he continued. “I just wanted to change that perception and allow my true authentic self to flow and show every single day.”
There has been a reputation around Howard that he was not serious enough to win a title and that he was a goofy person that only cared about his individual numbers. The 2019-20 season was all about proving all of that wrong and wanting to be known as a champion.
“By sacrificing all of the things that I would necessarily want for myself as a player, any player would want to play big minutes, any player would want to have a big role on a team and be able to score and all that stuff, but for our team to be successful, I just needed to be Dwight,” he finished. “Realize that I’m more than enough. I don’t need to score 30 points to help our team win. I don’t have to be on the court all the time to help our team win. It’s just a mindset that I had to change and it really helped me, it helped our team, and I’m glad that I was able to not allow my past to affect my future.”
As he begins the 2020-21 season in Philadelphia, he will have to fill the same veteran bench role for them. [lawrence-related id=40141,40138,40118]