New Philadelphia 76ers big man Dwight Howard has had quite the career. He was the top pick in the 2004 NBA draft and he has accomplished a ton in his NBA career from All-Star appearances to awards, but he was not able to win a title until he accepted a lesser role.
Howard made six All-Star appearances during the early part of his career with the Orlando Magic and he was named the Defensive Player of the Year three times while also leading the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009. He then was named an All-Star two more times, but he was not able to win a title.
It was not until his 16th season in the league with the Los Angeles Lakers when he accepted a lesser role and put the team in front of his individual wants to help win a title.
“Winning a championship was everything,” said Howard. “It made me realize that I could have the best stats in the world and it won’t mean nothing. Because here it is, I won a championship and there were games where I didn’t score a bucket or get minutes and what really matters is holding up that trophy. That would be my message to everybody on the team. What are you willing to give up to get the trophy?”
On that note, what exactly stopped Howard in the past? He was once the dominant center in the NBA and he helped turn the Magic into a legitimate title contender.
“For me, in the past, the things that have hindered me was my ego and also injuries,” he opened up. “Those are two major components of a team and players not being able to reach their full potential. So, for us to win, we have to take our egos away. Put our egos aside and do everything for us. The other part is staying healthy. We have to do the best job of conditioning properly, getting the proper amount of rest, and don’t overdo it and trust each other.”
As a young person coming into the league, a lot of times the focus can be individual accolades. Awards such as the scoring title, the MVPs, the title of being “the guy”, but at the end of the day, it’s all about winning a title. That’s a lesson that Howard learned over time, that maybe he would have won a title earlier if he would have known that sooner.
“I would say a problem that has happened across the NBA is that everybody wants to be that guy, that person, to do everything,” he said. “Why wouldn’t you want to be that person coming into the league? Everybody wants to be at the top of their game. I think the teams that win, their why is just win a championship. Nothing else matters.”
In Philadelphia, he will have the same type of role that he had with the Lakers which is to provide production off the bench. No longer is he “the guy” as he was with the Magic, that guy is Joel Embiid. He understands that and he accepts it.
“Whatever it takes to win,” he finished with. “I know that Joel is the star center and I’m not looking to come in here and take his job and be Joel, but after playing in this league for so long and being somebody that Joel has probably looked up to as far as being a center in the NBA at some point in his life, I want to be the best I can.” [lawrence-related id=39509,39499,39496]