Dwight Howard has officially been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on first ballot. Howard, who was recently inducted into the Orlando Magic's Hall of Fame, will now go into the Basketball Hall of Fame after a storied 18-year NBA career.
It's a momentous occasion for Howard, who lived up to expectations as a No. 1 pick coming straight from high school to now receiving the biggest honor by being elected to the Hall of Fame.
"I knew I was gonna do it," Howard told SportsCenter on Saturday. "I was trying not to cry so bad, but I'm so just so grateful and so thankful for God and this opportunity. It's such a big honor. I'm just so happy, this is so crazy. I made it to heaven."
"I was trying not to cry so bad." ❤️
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 5, 2025
Dwight Howard got emotional about being elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rJbSjDcCrj
Howard began his career with the Magic, before going on to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers. Over his career, Howard was an eight-time All-Star, five-team All-NBA first team, and finally won his first NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020.
What stood out about Howard making the Hall of Fame first ballot is he did so despite primarily starring on the defensive side of the ball. Howard did not lead the league in scoring over his career, but he did lead the NBA in rebounding five times and blocks twice. He is tenth on the NBA's all-time rebounding list and 13th on the all-time blocks list. He is also a three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
"I started playing basketball at a very young age, came into the NBA at 18, defense has just been my thing, just being the best defender, blocking all the shots, rebounding, making sure I make up for all my teammates' mistakes," Howard said to SportsCenter. "Just being there for everyone. It worked out for myself and I've just been so thankful.
Howard joins Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Danny Crawford, 2008 U.S. Olympic men's team, Billy Donovan, and Micky Arison in the class of 2025.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dwight Howard Becomes Emotional After Election As First-Ballot Hall of Famer.
