The Atlanta Hawks held their official press conference for Dwight Howard, after signing him to a 3 year contract worth $70.5 million dollars.
Howard expressed some emotion and some excitement after leaving Houston to start fresh in his native hometown.
Howard spoke with told ESPN:
It's really just a new beginning for me. I want to change from where I was at in my career and try to make the latter part of my career greater than the first part.
Howard's last season with the Rockets ended in disaster after firing their head coach early in the season. The issues continued to spiral as reports surfaced of chemistry problems, and an internal feud between Howard and teammate James Harden.
He also granted an interview after the season ended with ESPN's Jackie McMullan, stating the Rockets front office didn't want him more involved in the teams offense.
Howard rejected the notion that he is a problem to teammates and refuted reports that he is a locker room cancer.
People are always going to talk. I think the biggest thing that I have to do is not allow it to get into my heart. I've never been somebody who didn't care about my teammates, and I've never been that way. And to hear ‘cancer,' to hear ‘diva,' things like that, that's not me.
The season was a disappointment, but Howard stated he had hopes of a better year and wished it would have gone in another direction.
I thought it started out really good, and it just didn't end the way we all wanted to in Houston, But for me, that situation is over with. I learned a lot from being there, and it just really built a lot of character. I really had to endure a lot of things, a lot of heartaches, a lot of things that were being said about me publicly that I knew (weren't) true. But I really had to learn how to endure those things, and it really just made me stronger.
To that end, he got a bit emotional about being back home with family and everyone in the Hawks organization believing in him. He will get his chance to prove himself back into all star form, and help the Hawks reach the post season. He says he wants to dominate again, and has been working out faithfully all summer.
"This is a real new beginning for me, and I’m happy to share it with my loved ones." – @DwightHoward #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/DWBzTPjbBb
— FOX Sports Southeast (@FOXSportsSE) July 13, 2016
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