Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard has an opportunity to steal the show at this season’s All-Star Saturday night during All-Star weekend.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Howard will be in the Slam Dunk Contest, one of the weekend’s most storied events. Howard was a staple in the dunk contest from 2007-2009, throwing down jams in each of those three seasons.
Howard won the dunk contest in 2008, slamming his iconic “Superman” jam. Howard’s charisma helped make the dunk contest must-watch television in the late 2000s.
During that time period, Howard was also one of the game’s biggest stars. As one of the best centers of his era, Howard was the league’s leading rebounder for the 2007-08 season. He averaged 20.7 points during that same season.
Superman is back: Lakers center Dwight Howard will participate in the NBA Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend in Chicago, per sources. Story on @TheAthleticNBA: https://t.co/tox8RX7n3x
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 6, 2020
The dunk contest has usually had a lively aura, but in the past few seasons that energy hasn’t been present. The most recent memorable dunk contest was in 2016, when Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon battled in what’s arguably one of the best dunk contests ever.
Dwight Howard is returning to the NBA Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
Will we see the 'Superman' dunk again? 🦸♂️
(via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/f5YkJtqpJc
— Tim and Sid (@timandsid) January 6, 2020
With Howard returning to the dunk contest, perhaps one of the league’s most prized events can regain some of its mystique.
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