Dwight Howard will join Carmelo Anthony at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.
Dwight Howard’s Magic basketball journey will end in Springfield.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Howard is among the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. Howard enters the Hall on his first ballot and will join fellow first-year entrant Carmelo Anthony.
Howard entered the Association as the first overall pick of the 2004 draft, coming straight out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. The center had gained national prominence for his efforts in the McDonald’s All-American Game, sharing the famous showcase game’s MVP award with J.R. Smith.
The Orlando Magic originally secured Howard’s services and he went on to become one of the most famous names in Central Florida basketball history. Having played his first eight professional seasons in Orlando (2004-12), Howard remains the Magic’s all-time leader in minutes (22,471), rebounds (8,072), blocks (1,134), and points (11,345). Howard’s crowning achievement perhaps came in 2008, when he guided Orlando to its second NBA Finals appearance.
In addition to his time with the Magic, Howard also repped the Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13, 2019-20, 2020-21), Houston Rockets (2013-16), Atlanta Hawks (2016-17), Charlotte Hornets (2017-18), and Philadelphia 76ers (2020-21). He led the Association in rebounds on five occasions and in blocks twice, while reaching eight All-Star Games and five All-NBA First Teams. Howard remains one of four men to win at least three Defensive Player of the Year titles (Rudy Gobert, Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace) and the only one to do it for three consecutive seasons.
For his career, Howard averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. He also won the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest (winning fans over by donning a Superman cape for his primary slam) and later secured an elusive championship during one of his stints with the Lakers, as he appeared in all six games of the series win over the Miami Heat.
The full Class of 2025 will be unveiled at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four festivities in San Antonio.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
