Dwight Howard

 Dwight David Howard II, born on December 8, 1985 is an American professional basketball player who is a member of the Taoyuan Leopards in the T1 League. Howard is an NBA champion and an eight-time All-Star and a eight-time All-NBA Team selection and five-time All-Defensive Team player. Howard, who plays the center position, played at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy in high school. Howard decided to leave college and enrol in the 2004 NBA Draft, in which he was picked by the Orlando Magic as the first overall selection. Howard was a major player in numerous records in the league and for the Magic. After spending eight seasons in Orlando, Howard led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals. Howard was transferred to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. Howard spent three seasons playing for them and then won the NBA championship in the year 2020. Howard has been a part of the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks and also the Charlotte Hornets and the Washington Wizards. Howard was also part of the Philadelphia 76ers. His father, who is a Georgia State Trooper, is currently the director of athletics at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. The private school boasts one of the top high school basketball teams in the nation. The Howards' mother was on the first team of women's basketball at Morris Brown College. Howard was miscarried seven times prior to his birth. Howard was a fervent Christian in his early years started to show interest in basketball when he was nine. [3][43][4] Howard, regardless of being a sizeable man, was strong and able enough to be able to play in the guard position. Howard was a student at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He was primarily an offensive forward. In the 129 games he played, he averaged 16.6 points, 13.4 rebound and 6.3 blocks per game. 1 4 Howard, as a senior, steered his team to a 31-2 record and the 2004 state championship.[4][5] Howard averaged 25 points, 18 boards, 8.1 blocks, and 3.5 assists per game. Howard was widely regarded as the best American basketball player in high school in 2004 and was awarded the Naismith Prep Player of the Month Award as well as the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the YEAR Award as well as the Gatorade National Player of the Year Award and the McDonald's National High School Player of the award as well as the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Week Award. Howard was also the co-MVP for the McDonald's All-American Game with J. R. Smith. [6] On January 31, 2012, Howard was honored as one of the 35 greatest McDonald's All-Americans.Professional careerOrlando Magic (2004-2012)Early years (2004-2008Following his high school successes, Howard chose to forego college and declared for the 2004 NBA draft--a decision partly inspired by his idol Kevin Garnett who had done the same in 1995--where the Orlando Magic selected him first overall over UConn junior Emeka Okafor. Howard picked the number 12 for his number because it was exactly the opposite of Garnett's number 21 which he wore when he was playing for Minnesota. Howard was a part of the Magic team with only 21 wins in the previous season. Additionally, Tracy McGrady, a all-time NBA All-Star, was included on the team. Howard immediately made an impression. The rookie season ended with an average score of 10 rebounds, 12 points, and nine NBA records. He was the first player to record an unbeaten double-double during regular season NBA basketball. In addition, he was the youngest player to score at least 10 rebounds per season. Howard's contributions to the Magic was recognized by his first season in the league as the first player to play every one of the of 82 NBA games right out of high school. Howard was elected unanimously to the All-Rookie Team for his efforts during the 2005 NBA Rookie Challenge. Howard was third in the Rookies of the Year poll. Howard reported to camp after having gained 20 pounds in the off-season. Brian Hill, Orlando coach and the person in charge of Shaquille O'Neal's training, determined that Howard could be a full-time centre. Hill has identified two areas where Howard must improve in his post-up game as well as his defense. Hill imposed additional pressure on Howard by stating that the Magic required him to be a solid midfielder if they were likely to make the playoffs. Howard recorded 21 points while grabbing 20 rebounds in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats on November 15 in 2005. Howard became the youngest player to score 20+ points and score 20or more rebounds in one game. Howard was chosen to play in the 2006 Rookie Challenge, during which Howard was on the Sophomore Team. Howard averaged 15.8 points per game, and 12.5 rebound per game and was ranked 2nd in the NBA for rebounds per game as well as offensive rebounds, double-doubles and field goal percentage and offensive rebounding. Howard's improvement was not enough to help the Magic make it to the playoffs. They ended their season with a 36-46 record and failed to make it to the playoffs for the second time in a row. season. Howard also played in every single game of the regular season during the 2006-07 season. Howard was named an alternate player for the Eastern Conference team in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. Howard scored the game-winning alley-oop against the San Antonio Spurs on February 9. Howard also set a new record for his career by scoring 35 points against the Philadelphia 76ers. Under his direction, the Magic were seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference. The Magic were defeated by the Detroit Pistons during the first round. Howard ended his year with 17.6 points per game and 12.3 rebound. Howard finished second in the NBA for total rebounding and third in field goal percentage, and ninth in blocks. Howard was named for the All-NBA third team at the conclusion of the of the 2006-07 season. His outstanding performances allowed the Magic to enjoy their best season to date. Howard was chosen as an All-Star on the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. Howard was named the winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on February 16th in 2008. Howard received 78% of the fans' votes through text messaging as well as online vote. In the contest, he performed some of the most innovative dunks in history that were believed to have brought back the competition. One of the dunks was in which he wore the Superman cape. Howard helped lead the Magic to their first division championship in twelve years. They also were the third seeded team for the 2008 NBA Playoffs. 19 Orlando took five wins in their first round games against the Toronto Raptors thanks to Howard's dominance. Howard played three games of 20-point/20 rebound. Howard's total for the series (91 rebound) was higher than the total of the whole Toronto frontcourt. The Magic lost five games in the second round to Detroit's Pistons. Howard was named for the All-NBA First Team as well as the NBA All-Defensive 2 Team.