When a player has been around as long as Philadelphia 76ers veteran Dwight Howard has, there is bound to be history made along the way. In Saturday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, Howard made more of it in the rebounding department.
With his sixth rebound on Saturday, Howard moved into 11th place on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list passing the great Walt Bellamy. On the night, he finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds as the future Hall of Famer made quick work of Pistons rookie Isaiah Stewart down low. The veteran got a bit of revenge on the rookie after Stewart ripped his shorts in their previous matchup back in January.
Once the night was over, he finished within hailing distance of moving into the top 10 which is something that can be achieved in the 2021-22 season.
“It’s just a blessing to be able to play this game for this long and been able to be a player that’s top 11 in rebounds,” Howard said afterward. “I don’t think people understand how hard it is to get rebounds and to get up and moving into the list with some of these greats.”
Dwight Howard moves into 11th place on the all-time rebounding list tonight #Sixers pic.twitter.com/2a53GBj41z
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) May 8, 2021
The game is played much differently in today’s era compared to when Howard first entered the league in 2004. Teams fire up a bunch of 3-pointers which means longer rebounds out to the guards so the fact that Howard is still rebounding at an elite level is a testament to his ability to stay in shape and to keep going in this league.
“This era of basketball is different so rebounds are not just in the paint,” Howard explained. “They’re longer so it’s very hard to get rebounds so I’m just very thankful that the most high has given me a great body to go out there and go get rebounds. It takes a lot so I want to continue to do what I can to help his team win.”
Howard has said in the past that he is a big admirer of Sixers franchise great Wilt Chamberlain who happens to sit at the top of the rebounds list. When all is said and done, Howard won’t reach Chamberlain’s records, but he would like to finish as close as he can to him.
“Wilt Chamberlain is at the top,” Howard stated. “He’s my favorite player and I would love to just finish my career as close as I can as far as rebounds.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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