Dwight Howard, Who Was Considered The Next Shaquille O’Neal, Was Snubbed By Magic Johnson In High School

Arun Sharma | 22/09/2022
Magic Johnson once said Dwight Howard would never make it to the NBA

Magic Johnson was a tremendous player – but his scouting, not so much.

Magic Johnson played like he knew he was going to be a legend—it was no wonder that many players of the 2000s looked up to him. One such player was Dwight Howard, a future DPOY and Laker. But when he did meet his hero, he was not the ripped beast he is today.

Instead, he was a lanky teenager in the 10th grade. One look at his frame, and Johnson said Howard would not make it to the NBA in his current shape. Whether it was motivation or pure hatred, Dwight has since become one of the buffest players in history, and the most dominant Orlando centre since Shaquille O’Neal.

What a turnaround, considering just two years after he met Magic, he was enlisitng in the draft. A hall of fame career that started off with an in-your-face nudge

Magic Johnson at the head of Lakers operations was an unmitigated disaster. While he was in charge, the Lakers were at an all-time low, and then there was that infamous snitching scandal. It’s safe to say, nobody should be trusting their talents to Johnson anytime soon.

Also Read: “They used to call me “Magic Jordan!”: Michael Jordan talks about his $11,000 car dedicated to Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson and Dwight Howard never crossed paths – they would have complimented each other quite well if they did

A passer by nature and a player who thrives in the low block-where have we seen that combination? Oh yes, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Playing for 10 seasons together, they won the same number of games as the area code of Grand Rapids, Michigan (616).

They may have never played together, but they did play for the same team in different periods. While one was extremely successful with the purple and gold, the other was a hit and miss. In his prime, Dwight should have won much more than DPOYs. His shot for a title should have been stronger.

While he did end up finally winning his ring in 2020, he was much more of a role player than a starter. Even right now, he does not have a team that wants to take him in. The era of the painted monster is slowly dying, and the decline of Dwight is an example for everybody.

Also Read: 1988 Finals MVP shares a clip of Magic Johnson and Showtime Lakers jiving in Hawaii

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
Dwight Howard Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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