Dwight Howard: 'No doubt' I belong in Hall of Fame
Dwight Howard is aware he's not everybody's favorite NBA player. But now in his 13th season, he knows his on-court resume stacks up to names that are already enshrined in Springfield, Mass.
"No doubt," Howard told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears when asked if he expects to end up in the Hall of Fame one day. "It's kind of got swept under the rug because the perception of all the things that happened in Orlando."
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"Swept under the rug" may not be the correct phrase, but there's no doubt that Howard hasn't helped the perception of him over the years with stunts like his messy exit from Orlando or strained relationships with key teammates like Kobe Bryant and James Harden. There's also no doubt the eight-time All-NBA honoree will go down as one of the best big men of his era.
"All of the media stuff. If you look at basketball itself, and I don't ever talk about myself, but winning three Defensive Player of the Year trophies has never been done," Howard said. "Leading the league in rebounding six straight years. All that kind of stuff, I think that deserves it."
A cursory comparison to other greats proves him right. In virtually the same amount of games played, Howard has similar or even better stats than a Hall of Famer who also happens to be his former coach - Kevin McHale.
Championship hardware is clearly a big difference in that comparison, but Springfield inductions aren't solely based on rings. And if Howard has his way, he'll be playing another seven seasons.
"I want to get to 20 years," the 31-year-old said.