How Long Has Dwight Howard Been in the NBA?
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Dwight Howard has been in the NBA for 14 seasons. He’s a 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and 8-time All-Star.
Dwight Howard’s NBA Career
Dwight Howard has been in the NBA for 16 seasons. He was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2004 and has since played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and currently the Washington Wizards. Dwight Howard is a 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and 8-time All-Star.
Drafted in 2004
Dwight Howard was drafted out of high school by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the league’s best players, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2004-05. In his second season, he was voted an All-Star starter and helped lead the Magic to their first playoff appearance in four years. Howard would go on to play eight seasons with the Magic, making six trips to the playoffs and one appearance in the NBA Finals in 2009.
Played for the Orlando Magic
Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howard, who plays center, had a successful high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, and chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA draft. He was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic, becoming the fourth player to be drafted straight out of high school to number one overall without playing in college.
In his first season with the Magic, Howard was named to the All-Rookie team and became only the second player in NBA history to average a double-double in his debut season. He went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2005. In 2007, he helped lead his team to the NBA Finals where they eventually lost to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. After finishing as runners up in 2008, he helped lead Orlando back to Eastern Conference Finals again where they defeated James’s Cavs before losing in six games.
Played for the Los Angeles Lakers
Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a eight-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team member, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Howard played high school basketball for Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA draft, and was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. An eight-time member of the All-NBA Team, Howard is one of only four players in NBA history to average at least 13 points and 10 rebounds per game in his first 10 seasons.
Howard had an outstanding start to his career, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2005 and finishing second in Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2008–09. In LeBron James’s rookie season (2003–04), he averaged 20.9 points on 47.2 percent shooting from the field, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 blocks per game; no other player has averaged those figures as a rookie since 1993–94. His career average of 2.2 blocks per game ranks second among active players behind only Hakeem Olajuwon (2.4) and ninth all time. Howard also led the Magic to six postseasons: he averaged 17 points on 63 percent shooting from 2008 to 2011 while leading Orlando to 3 Eastern Conference Finals appearances during this 4 year stretch; since 12/31/08, Orlando had a regular season record of 205–53 with him but were only 6–11 without him during this span
Currently plays for the Houston Rockets
Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has played in the NBA since 2004, and he has been selected to eight All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and five NBA All-Defensive teams. Howard set numerous franchise and league records during his time with the Orlando Magic.
In 2012, after eight seasons with Orlando, Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He opted out of his contract with the Lakers after one season and signed as a free agent with his hometown team, the Houston Rockets. In 2016, he helped lead the Rockets to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1997. Howard is a five-time NBA rebounds leader and a five-timeBlock shots leaderspeaking he ranks second in blocks per game with 2.09 behind only Hakeem Olajuwon who had 3.03 blocks per game.
Dwight Howard’s Personal Life
Dwight David Howard was born on December 8, 1985, in Atlanta, Georgia. Howard attended Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, where he quickly became one of the best high school basketball players in the country. Howard was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA Draft. After playing for the Magic for eight seasons, Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012.
Married to Royce Reed
Dwight Howard married his long-time girlfriend, Royce Reed, on August 13, 2007. Reed is a former dancer for the Orlando Magic and the mother of Howard’s son, Braylon. The couple had a highly publicized break-up in 2009 that resulted in a number of court battles over custody of their son. In 2012, they finally reached an agreement that gave Reed primary custody.
Has four children
Dwight Howard has four children. He has two sons, Braylon and David, and two daughters, Jorae and Layla. Howard’s oldest child, Braylon, was born in 2007. His daughter Jorae was born in 2008, and his son David was born in 2009. His youngest child, Layla, was born in 2012.
Dwight Howard’s Legacy
Dwight Howard was drafted first overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He immediately became one of the best players in the league, winning the Rookie of the Year award. He would go on to play for the Magic for eight seasons, making the All-Star team six times. In 2012, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Won an NBA championship in 2020
Dwight Howard won an NBA championship in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers. This was his first championship win. He has been in the NBA for 16 years.
Won an Olympic gold medal in 2008
Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has won three NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards, is a eight-time All-Star, and led the league in rebounds per game for two consecutive seasons. Howard was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and played high school basketball at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA draft, and was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. An eight-time member of the All-NBA Team, he has also been selected to eight All-Defensive Teams and led the league in rebounding twice. In 2012, after eight seasons with Orlando, Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.