Longtime NBA center Dwight Howard officially announced his retirement from basketball on Thursday (Twitter link).
Howard, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025, last played in the NBA during the 2021/22 season. He has spent the past few years competing in Taiwan, Puerto Rico, and in the BIG3.
The first overall pick in the 2004 draft, Howard immediately became the starting center for the Magic and spent the next eight seasons in Orlando, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the team and finishing in the top five in MVP voting in four consecutive seasons from 2008-11. The Magic made the playoffs in six straight years during Howard’s tenure, appearing in the NBA Finals in 2009.
From 2012-22, Howard bounced around the NBA, spending time with the Lakers, Rockets, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards, and Sixers. He had three separate stints with the Lakers during that decade and won his first and only championship with the team in 2020.
Howard earned eight straight All-Star nods and appeared on eight All-NBA teams, including five First Teams, from 2006-14. In addition to winning DPOY three times, he made an All-Defensive team five times, including claiming a spot on the First Team for four years in a row from 2009-12.
Howard, who played 18 seasons, led the league in rebounding five times and currently ranks 10th on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list. He was also the league leader in blocked shots twice and ranks 13th all-time in that category.
The 6’10” big man didn’t play college basketball but fortified his Hall of Fame résumé by winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Beijing in 2008.
In 1,242 regular season games, including 1,078 starts (31.8 minutes per contest), Howard averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals while shooting 58.7% from the field and 56.7% from the foul line.
One of the most underrated NBA players of all time. 4x DPOY, top 3 in MVP discussions, and an NBA Finals appearance. Congratulations to D-12
I don’t know that he was tremendously underrated, I think he gets his respect. He was a heck of a player.
I think a huge level of disrespect was leaving him off the NBA 75th Anniversary Top 75 list. His 8 All NBA selections is tied for 30th all time, yet he he didn’t get picked while Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Dennis Rodman, who collectively had fewer All NBA teams than D12, all got in.
I’d put Ray Reggie and Dennis over Dwight as well
Dennis Rodman, probably. But not Reggie Miller. Come on. I know that there’s nostalgia there but in no world is Reggie Miller more deserving of Top 75 over Dwight Howard.
Hence the disrespect. Howard was first team All NBA 5 times. Allen none. Miller none. Rodman none.
I doubt you could come up with any objective criteria that would put those three players in the all time top 75 and leave Howard out.
@ AI S…what centres in the league when Dwight played. What shooting guards in the league when Ray and Reggie played?
1, MJ. 2, Kobe, 3, Wade. Top 3 guys to in their position to ever do it.
You are making my point, there is a lack of respect for how good Howard was in his prime. Sure, if Shaq was a couple years younger, if Yao was healthier, if Duncan moved to center sooner, then Howard may have had fewer 1st team All NBA selections. But even if you nove him down to 2nd or 3rd team a couple of those years, he still is All NBA 8 times, he still is top 5 in MVP voting 4 times and he still is Defensive Player of the Year 3 times.
@ human rain delay…everyday that ends in Y
Picking Rodman over Howard is indefensible.
2 time dead beat dad as well
The site is called hoops rumors, not dirty laundry. Have some class, derelict.
I loved that ’09 team that came up short against the lakers, they were so fun to watch and were actually well ahead of their time (long at 4 out of 5 positions, lots of shooting). In another era he would have enjoyed more success.
Did KG play in that series vs Orlando?
Bro retired because his wife showed his 10 gallon bag of ICEEEEE on live haha
Wife?
They are divorcing but he eloped with some no name rapper girl from Reality TV Amy Luciano
So female yeah?
lol what a fake announcement. No one thought he was playing another nba game regardless
Meanwhile, the Jazz sign some “Bez Mbeng” guy over Dwight.
The G-League was a mistake. 10-day deals to unknown cookie-cutter 6’6″ defense-first players over veterans…
100 percent
I put Walt Frazier/Anthony Edwards/Chris Morris/Derrick Favors/Dwight Howard vs any 5 that any city (other than LA) has to offer all-time. Dwight still the best that they city/state has produced since Frazier & that’s saying a lot. Obv a HOF player but it was/is his overall jovial/joyous demeanor that always stood out to me. Terrible the way espn & American media in general turned on him & made him a villain during the time he should have been celebrated the most. Pretty much every great Black American athlete has had to deal with being villainized tho so hopefully he (along with Embiid, Westbrook, etc) has learned to take it as a source of pride… link to m.youtube.com
Zeke Rose Mark Aguirre Anthony Davis and George Mikan.
Honorable mention Kevin Garnett
Thats who I would want for my city.
Does KG count? I don’t think he got to Chicago until he was legal.
Frazier is better all time than D Howard
Interesting take Luke207. Let’s hear you make your case.
I agree with Luke.
Frazier is considered one of the top 3 defensive guards in NBA history. Glove and DJ are the other ones. He also was a key factor in the last title for the Knicks, along with his off the court fashion and bravado. He also had a knack (no pun intended) for being clutch. Yes, the product he played against was a bit too weak (NBA didn’t boom until Magic/Bird era), but he still had to guard some pretty good guys who can get buckets like West and a few others.
D12 was also robbed a MVP in 2011. I know it’s sacrilegious in this city to say that considering Rose won it, but Howard was more important to his team than Rose. He was a top 3 player in the league and the height of his powers in 2011. A lot of Bulls fans won’t agree with me, but yeah that’s how I personally feel about D12.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
You got everything on Frazier. Like we had the same books
Howard did lead his team to the championship game. I would say Howard is better than Rose all time
Maybe Detroit if you let Magic slide in from Lansing
Magic Johnson (pg)/Iceman Gervin (sf)/Chris Webber(pf)/Devin Booker (sg)/Derrick Coleman (c)
Chicago has some awesome guards but they are missing a big. D. Wade/Isaiah Thomas/D. Rose/The Matrix/Anthony Davis
Detroit is no slouch either. Very underrated hoops city. I had Mikan, I know majority of us didn’t see him play but he’s still a legend in the NBA and first true big man superstar.
You wouldn’t put Draymond over Coleman and play small ball? Just curious?
Also, shame on me for Wade. Too many guards to choose from lol.
I can’t be the only one that thought he was already retired right?
No, I thought he had years ago. Had his play dropped that much that teams didn’t want to sign him? I mean I know there’s several teams out there that are in need of a big man. I wish him luck in his retirement. He had a great career.
None of the top teams are relying on an elderly big man. Don’t think he wanted to be a DeAndre Jordan.
He’s only 40? I thought he was older!
Who? Dwight retired years ago.