Former Orlando Magic CEO Bob Vander Weide recently shared with the Orlando Sentinal some fairly outlandish comments by Dwight Howard from when he was on the Magic.
“When he told me he was an icon, guess what three names he used [to compare himself to]? Michael Jordan. Muhammad Ali. Nelson Mandela.”
MJ, Ali, Mandela… two of the best athletes of all time and one of the greatest men of all time. Dwight is of course a great player, but he hasn't done anything to merit being in the conversation with any of those three – especially back when he was in Orlando.
Vander Weide continued, knowing that this attitude from Dwight Howard meant he needed to leave Orlando:
“We've been to the Finals once and you're a great athlete, and you're an icon like these three? I knew it was over. I knew there was no chance of keeping him.”