Los Angeles Lakers big man Dwight Howard has been in Georgia for the last three months, the place where two unarmed black men were killed. Recently, Howard attended the charges read of an Atlanta police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks. While he didn't utter a word, his mere presence and the shirt he wore sent out a powerful statement.
Howard did not talk to the media nor make any public statements at the courthouse in Georgia, per Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, via Yahoo Sports, Howard donned a white shirt with words formed into wings that said: “Breathe again.”
The Lakers center has been one of the more vocal NBA players who have not shied away from speaking out against the socio-political issues hounding the US.
Amid the impending return of the league after a three-month hiatus brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, Howard and Lakers teammate Avery Bradley challenged the league, noting that basketball's return might serve as a distraction from the real issues at hand.
There were even hints that Howard will not suit up in the event that the 2019-20 season resumes. This would be a heartbreaking predicament since Howard has been instrumental in turning the purple and gold into legitimate title contenders this year.
But in a more recent statement by Howard, the big man seemingly backpedaled from his earlier sentiments. According to the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, he's “not here to dictate.”
“In a time like this, where we are fighting for equal rights, it would be contradictory if we told our own players to not play and do as we say,” Howard wrote in a statement to The Athletic's Shams Charania. “We are not here to dictate, nor do we have the power to do so. We want to make sure communication is taking place openly (and) without fear.
On and off the court, Howard has certainly been making big moves with great impact.
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