It’s been over two years since Dwight Howard has played in the NBA, his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers being his last, which ended in 2022. He then joined the Taiwanese T1 league for a year to keep himself prepared for the next NBA opportunity, which just doesn’t seem to come for the 38-year-old despite his attempts on social media to promote himself.
However, Howard is keeping his NBA dreams alive for the foreseeable future. The eight-time All-Star has now promised to align his retirement plan to that of LeBron James’.
Interestingly, he didn’t take LBJ’s name, but it’s quite obvious that he’s talking about the Lakers superstar. The recent three-point outbursts from King James must’ve given him some much-needed hope.
After all, if a 39-year-old can do that, he can at least hope for a spot on a team’s roster. Howard wrote on X, “I’m not retiring until [Goat emoji] retire.”
Although some fans reminded him that Michael Jordan retired two decades ago and the late, great Kobe Bryant retired in 2016 as well, they’re clearly not the GOATs that Howard is chasing.
I’m not retiring until 🐐retire
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) November 14, 2024
He is talking about the one who has had three consecutive triple-double games in year 22. In the last three games, LeBron has scored 21-12-13, 19-10-16, and 35-12-14.
In addition to these performances, King James has also claimed that he has another couple of years left in him “I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest. One year, two years, whatever the case may be.”
Howard, on the other hand, is looking to pounce on every opportunity in sight. After Chet Holmgren’s recent injury, he extended a helping hand to the OKC. The veteran center still believes that he has a lot to offer, but no team seems to be interested.
Could the Lakers be a likely destination for Howard?
LeBron James and Dwight Howard won a ring together
When Howard joined the Lakers in 2019 for his second stint with the franchise, he ended up winning a championship in that season. Although he didn’t do very well filling in for an injured Anthony Davis, he has a title win to make his case. Howard played 60 games for the franchise, averaging 16.2 minutes per game.
He averaged 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists, steals, and blocks. The following season, he signed with the Sixers only to come back to LA in 2021.
He has had three separate stints with the Lakers, which makes him an experienced vet for the franchise. But it’s difficult to find a spot for him on that roster as of now.
It’s worth noting, however, that DH enjoys playing in LeBron’s company. During his appearance on Math Hoffa’s podcast, he called him his “twin.” Howard said, “LeBron almost act like somebody from the South side of Georgia. We act kinda like twins.”
He also detailed his experience of playing with arguably the greatest Laker ever. Howard said what most people say about Kobe, he was only about basketball and had no time to make friends.