In 2020, Dwight Howard fulfilled his 16-year-long dream of winning a championship ring while representing the Los Angeles Lakers. Recently, he looked back on the period leading up to the moment as he shared an old podcast clip from his Instagram story. It revealed the details behind him joining the LA franchise after being cut by the Memphis Grizzlies highlighting the struggles from that phase.
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In 2019, the Washington Wizards lacked faith in the center’s ability following his second back surgery. The organization traded him to the Grizzlies, which resulted in misery for the 8x All-Star. “Grizzlies never say anything to me. Never brought me down to Memphis or anything,” he recalled.
“So I called the owner and say, ‘Hey, I would love to come down and be a part of the Grizzlies. I know I’m older player but I have a lot of experience and wisdom. I would love to help the younger players. There is any way we could get a mini-camp going before the season start?’. He was like, ‘Listen, we ain’t got no room for you on the roster,'” the 6ft 10″ icon revealed.
It fueled his determination as the Georgia-born went on to lose 30 pounds in 30 days before his luck turned around. “Lakers call. I said I would be on the next plane to LA. Come work out for the team. Middle of the workout, they called my agent, ‘We gonna sign Dwight’. So, it’s over. End of the story won the championship,” Howard mentioned.
His words put in focus the challenges the older players often face in the league as franchises are often impatient with them. Despite winning three DPOYs in his career, Howard had to face a similar treatment in his mid-30s as the teams preferred youngsters on the bench, rather than experience. It shed light on the harsh reality of the NBA as Superman failed to escape it too.
Amidst the concerns, the Lakers showcased courage as they provided him with an opportunity. Looking back, it’s fair to say that the gamble of the organization paid off as Howard played a key role in helping them win the 2020 NBA Championship.
Dwight Howard’s contribution to the Los Angeles Lakers’ success
The 2019-20 Bubble NBA campaign became a pivotal one in his career as he embraced his role as a rotation player. In 69 regular season games, he averaged career-highs in free-throw and three-point percentage. Overall, he averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game until the playoffs while starting only two matches, as he came off the bench as the backup for Anthony Davis in all other games.
The scenario changed as the team qualified for the Western Conference finals to face the Denver Nuggets. He shouldered the responsibility of guarding the opposition’s talisman, Nikola Jokic. Despite nearly getting ejected in Game 3 because of this, his presence on the court came in aid as the Lakers won 4-1 to reach the Finals.
The storyline remained unchanged there too as he started against the Miami Heat to help the organization win a championship after a decade. All in all, a journey that started by chance, ended up fulfilling his lifelong dream.
