Dwight Howard is headed to the City of Brotherly love after reportedly accepting a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. As it turns out, Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid had his hand in the recruiting process that enticed Howard to leave Hollywood.
Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, JoJo helped out new Sixers President Daryl Morey with the recruitment pitch right around the time communications with Howard and the Lakers brass broke down. The eight-time All-Star was pegged to return to the Purple and Gold after tweeting his love for the city of LA. However, Howard curiously deleted the said tweet minutes later after finding out that LA has yet to make an official offer.
Apparently, the Lakers' agreement with the 6-foot-10 center was merely a “deal concept” at the time, so Howard was forced to take down his announcement. The Sixers pounced on this opportunity and successfully lured Howard away.
It is worth noting that Dwight already has a rapport with Morey back in their days with the Houston Rockets. Having the Sixers' top guy Embiid show faith in him definitely sparked Philly's allure for Howard.
Howard had a career resurgence for LA last year and was one of the most important role players in their championship run. He notched 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 block in 69 games and was a solid anchor for the team come playoff time.
Under the guidance of Philly new head coach Doc Rivers, the 3-time DPOY winner will likely play back-up for Joel Embiid. The Sixers are definitely looking to reinvent themselves next season and adding Dwight Howard's championship experience only further strengthens their bid.
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