Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic
Regrets? Dwight Howard has a few. His bitter end in Orlando 12 years ago, back when Howard was the league’s dominant center thanks in large part to the innovative way coach Stan Van Gundy used him offensively, ranks tops among them.
It would be wise for the current band of star players itching for new locations—Damian Lillard and James Harden, at the moment, with more sure to follow—to consider the legacy of Howard, who was among the most important players in the game in the early 2000s.
Today, though, Howard’s enduring legacy may his utter lack of a legacy.
Howard, a five-time rebounding champ and two-time blocks champ, was a defensive monster for the first eight years of his career, and either unwilling or unable to develop as a serious offensive player during that time. The Magic tried all that they could (hiring Patrick Ewing as an assistant coach, having Howard work with Hakeem Olajuwon) to change that, to get Howard to develop just one reliable post move or a semblance of a jumper.
Never happened. So Van Gundy did what he could to spread the floor around Howard and help him use his athleticism to rack up offensive rebound putbacks and dunks—and, in doing so, helped show that the stretch-4 could be a considerable NBA weapon (he made Rashard Lewis and Ryan Anderson a lot of money).
Howard, though, wanted more. He was a natural showman—he famously donned a Superman cape during the NBA Slam Dunk contest at the 2008 All-Star game—and though he had ample endorsement opportunities, he wanted brighter lights than Orlando could offer. Beginning in 2011, a year ahead of his free agency, Howard began to agitate his way out of Orlando. That fall, in training camp, word spread that he was tired of Van Gundy, and that the Nets were prepping a big offer for Howard.
Once that year’s lockout was settled, Nets-Howard trade rumors boiled over. So did Howard’s impatience with the Magic and, specifically, with Van Gundy. The winter of 2011-12 was dominated by Howard’s shenanigans in Orlando—he would repeatedly assert then recant trade demands, he opted into the final year of his contract, he demanded Van Gundy be fired (which Van Gundy awkwardly revealed to the media), he was accused of quitting on the team and, finally, it all ended with a controversial back surgery that spring.
“It hurts (emotionally),” Howard said at the time. “That’'s the first thing — it hurts. And then with people saying and thinking I’m quitting on my team. This is a real issue.”
Howard was very much in his prime (just 26 years old) when he was, finally, dealt away in a blockbuster four-team trade in August of 2012. But what happened to him after that deal has been all too lost on the league’s current generation of stars. Howard was a disaster alongside Kobe Bryant with the Lakers, then flopped after signing a massive contract in Houston the following year.
He became a Hall of Fame journeyman by the time he was 31. He made eight different stops with six different teams in his final 10 NBA seasons.
Howard’s Difficult End
Howard has struggled to end his career, and played in Taiwan last season, for the Taoyuan Leopards. He was booed relentlessly for a while when he would play in Orlando and, gradually was booed less and less there—indifference replacing hatred. But he always sounds like a man who wishes he could do things over again, who is coming to the realization that his legacy is hollow.
Ex-coach Stan Van Gundy
Howard and Van Gundy have long buried any hatchets. But Howard’s footing with the Magic and the city of Orlando is less certain. When visiting Van Gundy, whose wife died this month at age 61, Howard posted a message to social media:
“Meeting up with my old teammates got me emotiobal [sic]. Having a chance to go back where it all started was so amazing. I really missed this beautiful city. I appreciate all the amazing moments that make this my home, despite the miscommunication or trials we've been through. I am grateful for my lessons and what they have taught me. And I value them. Orlando I value you. I value the moments we had good and bad. Wins and losses. The s*** was still the best. Blue and white will always ignite.”
He also wrote in a caption, “I would retire with Orlando.”
Hmm. Would the city of Orlando have him back? Would the Magic want him back? Not likely. It’s been more than a decade but that’s just the point—he has no legacy in Orlando. He saw to that 12 years ago.
