New Philadelphia 76ers big man Dwight Howard has long accepted that he is not the same dominant NBA player he once was.

Of course, it is not a result of his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. Speaking with the media, he revealed what his mentality was going into his time with the Purple and Gold and what made him realize he isn't the player he used to be.

“Before the season started with the Lakers last year, I just promised myself that whatever I had to do for the team, I’ll be willing to do and I know that there’s always been a perception about who people think I am and my character on and off the floor,” Dwight Howard said, per Sixers Wire. “I just wanted to change that perception and allow my true authentic self to flow and show every single day. By sacrificing all of the things that I would necessarily want for myself as a player, any player would want to play big minutes, any player would want to have a big role on a team and be able to score and all that stuff, but for our team to be successful, I just needed to be Dwight. Realize that I’m more than enough. I don’t need to score 30 points to help our team win. I don’t have to be on the court all the time to help our team win. It’s just a mindset that I had to change and it really helped me, it helped our team, and I’m glad that I was able to not allow my past to affect my future.”

That is a big step for a player who used to be known as one who was focused on his stats and accolades. Now that Howard is focused on helping his team–as he proved with the Lakers–the Sixers hope he will be able to help them get to the Finals.

The Sixers are Howard's seventh team in his career, having switched eight times with two stints on the Lakers. In spite of being an eight-time All Star and a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, he won his first NBA Championship last year as a part of the LeBron James-led LA franchise.

While he has always been a great player on both sides of the ball, some have considered him a liability on the offensive end with his limited free throw shooting ability. Throughout his career, teams have preferred to send him to the free throw line instead of allowing him to use his power inside, which has been referred to as “Hack-A-Howard”.

Now as an elder statesman in the league, Howard is focused on helping his team win a championship, rather than his own glory, and that seems to be the role he is best suited for.