Hornets' Howard 'wanted to jump back into the gym' after call from MJ

A phone call with Charlotte Hornets owner and the NBA's GOAT, Michael Jordan, has Dwight Howard eager to get started with his new team.

"I'd just done a two-and-a-half-hour workout. After I was done talking to him, I wanted to jump back into the gym," Howard said of his call with Jordan - his new owner - according to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell.

"That's how he motivated me."

Howard and the 31st pick in Thursday's draft were acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in exchange for Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli, and the 41st pick. The Hornets are now the 31-year-old's third team in as many years, as Howard had just signed a three-year, $70-million contract with his hometown Hawks last summer.

While still putting up double-double numbers at this stage of his career, there's no denying that Howard's play has tapered off, with both injuries and the league's style of play - which is moving more and more away from the basket - contributing to his regression.

One man who isn't ready to throw in the towel on the near 7-footer is Jordan, a former six-time champion and five-time Most Valuable Player whose words seem to have struck a cord with Howard.

"You’re talking about the greatest basketball player to ever play,” Howard said of Jordan. "For him to call you on the phone and say, ‘I believe in you.'"

Charlotte finished in the bottom half of the Association last season in both rebounding (16th) and rejections (17th), two areas that Howard continues to excel at.