Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard is now an NBA champion for the first time in his career.
While many Lakers fans still remember the “Dwightmare” saga during his rocky 2012-13 season with the team, it's safe to say that Howard has made up for that with his valuable contributions in their 2020 bubble run.
Shortly after the 6-foot-10 slotman was finally able to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy on Sunday, Howard's intriguing tweet from back in 2013 began to resurface online.
Dwight’s tweet from 2013. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/0vtDN3DBKL
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 12, 2020
Dwight Howard, of course, first came to the Lakers' fold eight years ago upon requesting a trade from the Orlando Magic. The eight-time All-Star was coming off a serious back injury back then and wasn't his usual dominant self.
He often clashed with the late Kobe Bryant that year and opted not to re-sign with the team following an ugly first-round playoff exit. Howard wrote the above tweet after signing with the Houston Rockets. He became a journeyman since then but found himself back in Hollywood last summer.
Howard wasn't even in the Lakers' plans, but a season-ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins forced them to take another shot at Howard.
While his days as “Superman” was now over, Howard somehow had a career resurgence as a bench player for the Lakers. He understood his role and embraced it perfectly, notching 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 block in 69 regular-season games. Howard's value to the team was evident come playoff time, as helped anchor the LA defense on their way to the title.
Howard had no grand illusions that he was still a star and simply tried to provide whatever the team asked of him. He had no qualms about sitting out the second round versus the Houston Rockets and gave the Lakers a big boost against the Denver Nuggets in the conference finals.
Dwight Howard's redemption arc in LaLa Land is indeed one of the best stories this season.
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