Flashback: Dwight Howard
By Brian Schmitz
ESPN RISE Magazine
A secret admirer recently sent Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard a box of flowers shaded in Magic colors. Of course, Howard has a lot of admirers these days -- most of whom aren't secret. But few people were onto him before us. More than five years ago, he first appeared on our cover and then was one of our Class of 2004 picks for "The Future" (along with Candace Parker and Adrian Peterson -- not that we're bragging).
Back then, Howard was a Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) senior who we compared to Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Since becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of high school, Howard has averaged 17.3 points and 12.6 rebounds. The three-time All-Star has also won two rebounding les, a blocks le and an Olympic gold medal. But he's remained down to earth through it all, using the lessons in humility he learned in high school.
ESPN RISE: What do you remember about being on our cover?
Dwight Howard: It was sweet. I remember looking at it and saying, "Man, I'm in high school and I'm on the cover." Our school was so small that once one person saw the cover, the whole school saw it.
ESPN RISE: Did teacher give you a break after that?
Howard: No! They were tough on me. Very tough. They made sure I did everything the right way. No matter what it was. They made sure I was in school on time and had my uniform on right. I was a role model for all the little kids and they wanted to make sure I was in line.
ESPN RISE: When did you first start thinking about the NBA?
Howard: I thought about going to the NBA when I was 10. Really -- at 10. I remember the first time somebody said I would be going to the NBA, I was in the eighth grade. I was already playing against some of the high schoolers and I was beating them bad.
ESPN RISE: At what point did you decide to make the jump?
Howard: Before my senior year. I didn't tell my teammates. I didn't make a big deal about going to the NBA because I didn't want my school or my team just getting attention because I was going to the NBA.
ESPN RISE: What advice would you give to other players with pro aspirations?
Howard: Try to stay grounded. Everybody sees this fantasy world that we live in, but it's tougher than people think. They have this perception of what they think the NBA is like because all they see are the cameras, the lights, the jewelry, the big houses and "MTV Cribs." But the average NBA day is not like that.
ESPN RISE: How have you stayed so grounded for so long?
Howard: I've had that experience growing up where I thought I had a little success and I was getting attention from the media, from fans, from girls. Then one day all that stuff went away. I broke my leg (before sop re season) and nobody thought about Dwight Howard after that. So I realized all this can be taken away in one moment so I need to keep myself humble.
ESPN RISE: What do you see in your future?
Howard: I want my team to win a championship. I want to dominate, keep getting better. I want to be one of the great players. But I really want for the Orlando Magic to win a championship.
I love my Lakers but got nothing but praise for Ike. Love the dude. Good at ude and is well grounded. He isn't one of those tatooed thug idiots. Who knows; Maybe one day he will wear the Purple and Gold!
....You just never know. We stole Shaq. We can steal us another.
Love you Ike. Just don't get it this year!
Amazing. I love it.
Wish more players could be as humble.
It's very nice to see such a humble star. Definitely has some Duncan qualities. I really hope the kid can pull off the upset and bring his team a le.
Take note, LeBron.
It's hard not to like this guy.
D12 is one of my favorite players...dude is a monster. it's hard not to like the whole team...Hedo, Rashard, Skip to my lou, and Pietrus all are journeyman studs that happened to come together and make a great team. I'm sure I'll hate them all through the finals tho
Dwight Howard is a perfect example of the type of guys the league needs. Humble, respectful, and concerned about the bigger picture. Doesn't pump his chest, just takes care of business. You can tell he has taken a note or two from Duncan.
It's like the guy is a kid stuck in a behemoth's body. You can genuinely tell he is having fun out on the court.
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