Dwight Howard never managed to call any city home for too long after leaving the Orlando Magic in 2012, and there was a time when no team seemed willing to take a chance on him. Most would have given up, but the big man’s unwavering self-belief — foreshadowing what was to come — kept his career alive and even allowed him to take it up another notch.
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When Howard was still with the Magic, he started suffering issues with his back and, pretty soon, had to undergo surgery. As a player, this impacted him. He wasn’t as explosive anymore. So, in 2019, when he underwent another surgery on his back, teams were even more hesitant to get him on board.
Howard was with the Washington Wizards at the time and recalled approaching their General Manager, Ernie Grunfeld, asking for just three months to get into the “best shape of his life.” He even promised that the team would win a championship and kept a note on his phone to remind himself of that every day. Grunfeld’s response was vague as he told Howard they would get back to him. Instead, the Wizards ended up trading him away.
“So, they let me go. They traded me to Memphis,” Howard revealed, before stating how things got even worse thereon.
“I tried to call Memphis to see if I could come down, do like a mini-camp before the season to get to know the players… They said, ‘We don’t have no room for you,'” the Magic legend added. “So, I get traded, then I get waived.”
Howard did not give up. He hit the gym and decided to work even harder, losing 30 lbs. in 30 days. “I come back lean, mean, jumping like crazy. The Lakers called, and they had a spot…”
The now-39-year-old flew to Los Angeles on his own, where the front office saw him try out and was impressed after just one play. “I do a pick and roll to the basket, they throw the lob, like, to the moon, I catch it, boom. GM runs up to Rob Pelinka… Call my agent, we’re gonna sign Dwight,” he said.
Just like that, Howard had found himself in the roster of an NBA team again, and this time, he was part of one of the best franchises out there, who were poised to compete for the title. Predictably enough, come the year 2020, Howard held the Larry O’Brien for the first time ever in his career.
“My hard work that started from my faith and having that delusional belief that I was gonna lose 30 pounds in 30… We gonna come back, we gonna win the championship. He [Grunfeld] didn’t believe me or see the vision that I saw.”
Thankfully, the Lakers took a chance in him, and he delivered. Although not the protagonist, Howard was able to retire a NBA champion, thanks to LA.
