Since entering the league back in 2004, Dwight Howard has been known to be a physical specimen. His broad shoulders and chiseled arms make him a frightening sight on the court and his mere presence is enough to alter a lot of shots inside the paint.

However, he had an addiction in the past that would've made it impossible for him to maintain his physique. as he used to consume a ridiculous amount of candy, according to a piece made by ESPN's Baxter Holmes.

“To alter Howard's diet, though, [Dr. Cate] Shanahan (Lakers‘ nutritionist) first had to understand it. After calls with his bodyguard, chef and a personal assistant, she uncovered a startling fact: Howard had been scarfing down about two dozen chocolate bars' worth of sugar every single day for years, possibly as long as a decade. “You name it, he ate it,” she says. Skittles, Starbursts, Rolos, Snickers, Mars bars, Twizzlers, Almond Joys, Kit Kats and oh, how he loved Reese's Pieces. He'd eat them before lunch, after lunch, before dinner, after dinner, and like any junkie, he had stashes all over — in his kitchen, his bedroom, his car, a fix always within reach. She told his assistants to empty his house, and they hauled out his monstrous candy stash in boxes — yes, boxes, plural. Howard ultimately vowed to go clean all at once, but before he committed to cutting the junk in his diet, he asked Shanahan one question. It was about one food he wasn't willing to surrender, one snack at which he had to draw the line.”

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It's indeed surprising to find out that the Atlanta Hawks center used to consume two dozen candy bars worth of sugar daily for more than 10 years as it did slow down his game in the early days of his career. Fortunately for him, he was able to get over it and focused once again on further improving his skills as a professional basketball player.

The 31-year-old may not be as dominant as he was before, but he is still one of the better centers in the league today. He is also currently having a solid season and feels rejuvenated in his first year with his hometown team, averaging 13.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. More importantly for him, he has been a solid contributor to the Hawks, who are looking to make a lot of noise in the playoffs starting in mid-April.