Dwight Howard Player profile How tall is Dwight? 6 feet 11 inches tall (2.11 m) What is his weight? 265 pounds (120 kg), How well did he do in the NBA? During the 2007-08 regular season, Howard led the NBA with 897 free throw attempts How was he able to do this? Howard's rebounding is in part facilitated by his extraordinary athleticism; What other ways did he display his athleticism? He demonstrated this skill in the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest, where he completed an alley oop dunk from teammate Jameer Nelson while slapping a sticker onto the backboard What did he do during the slam dunk contest? he completed an alley oop dunk from teammate Jameer Nelson while slapping a sticker onto the backboard at 12 ft 6 in
What were some other career highlights?
What were some other career highlights of Dwight Howard other than leading the league in free throw attempts and having a performance in the 2007 slam dunk contest that involved and alley oop dunk while slapping a sticker on the backboard at 12.5 feet?
Standing at 6 feet 11 inches tall (2.11 m) and weighing 265 pounds (120 kg), Howard plays the center position. Howard led the NBA in rebounding from 2007 to 2010, and again from 2012 to 2013. Howard's rebounding is in part facilitated by his extraordinary athleticism; his running vertical leap was tested at 39.5 inches in 2011, rare for a player of his size. He demonstrated this skill in the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest, where he completed an alley oop dunk from teammate Jameer Nelson while slapping a sticker onto the backboard at 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) high. The sticker showed an image of his own smiling face with a handwritten "All things through Christ Phil: 4:13", a paraphrase of Philippians 4:13. Howard's leaping reach of 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) is the highest documented in NBA history, 1 inch (2.5 cm) higher than Shaquille O'Neal's previous record of 12 ft 5 in (3.78 m). As of April 2013, Howard's career average of 12.9 rebounds per game (in the regular season) ranked 12th in NBA history.  Howard's abilities and powerful physique have drawn attention from fellow NBA All-Stars. Tim Duncan once remarked in 2007: "[Howard] is so developed... He has so much promise and I am glad that I will be out of the league when he is peaking." Kevin Garnett echoed those sentiments: "[Howard] is a freak of nature, man... I was nowhere near that physically talented. I wasn't that gifted, as far as body and physical presence." Subsequent to a game in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala said: "It's like he can guard two guys at once. He can guard his guy and the guy coming off the pick-and-roll, which is almost impossible to do... If he gets any more athletic or jumps any higher, they're going to have to change the rules." As early as December 2007, ESPN writer David Thorpe declared Howard to be the most dominant center in the NBA.  While many sports pundits have been rating Howard as one of the top young prospects in the NBA since 2006, Howard has some weaknesses in his game. Offensively, his shooting range remains limited; he is also mistake-prone, having led the NBA in total number of turnovers in the 2006-07 season. Like many centers, he has a low free throw conversion percentage. As a result, he is often a target of the Hack-a-Shaq defense and is annually among the league leaders in free throw attempts. During the 2007-08 regular season, Howard led the NBA with 897 free throw attempts while shooting only 59% from the free throw line. Also in that season, outside of layups and dunks, his shooting percentage was only 31.6%. In the 2008-09 season, he led the NBA again with 849 free throw attempts and in 2009-10, he was second in the NBA with 816. CANNOTANSWER
he led the NBA again with 849 free throw attempts and in 2009-10, he was second in the NBA with 816.
Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Howard, who plays center, spent his high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He chose to forgo college, entered the 2004 NBA draft, and was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. Howard set numerous franchise and league records with the Magic. He led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals.

In 2012, after eight seasons with Orlando, Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. After a year with the Lakers, he played for the Houston Rockets, the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Hornets, and the Washington Wizards. Howard returned to the Lakers in 2019 and won his first NBA championship in 2020.

Early life
Howard was born in Atlanta, to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard, a family with strong athletic connections. His father is a Georgia State Trooper and is the athletic director at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, a private academy with one of the country's best high school basketball programs; his mother played on the inaugural women's basketball team at Morris Brown College. Howard's mother had seven miscarriages before he was born. A devout Christian since his youth, Howard became serious about basketball around the age of nine. Despite his large frame, Howard was quick and versatile enough to play the guard position. He attended Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy and played mostly as power forward, averaging 16.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.3 blocks per game in 129 appearances. As a senior, Howard led his team to a 31–2 record and the 2004 state title, while averaging 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game. The same year, he was widely recognized as the best American high school basketball player, and received the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald's National High School Player of the Year honor. He was also co-MVP (with J. R. Smith) of the McDonald's All-American Game that year. On January 31, 2012, Howard was honored as one of the 35 greatest McDonald's All-Americans.

Professional career

Orlando Magic (2004–2012)

Early years (2004–2008)
Following his high school successes, Howard chose to forego college and declared for the 2004 NBA draft—a decision partly inspired by his idol Kevin Garnett who had done the same in 1995—where the Orlando Magic selected him first overall over UConn junior Emeka Okafor. He took the number 12 for his jersey, in part because it was the reverse of Garnett's 21 when he played for Minnesota. Howard joined a depleted Magic squad that had finished with only 21 victories the previous season; further, the club had just lost perennial NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. Howard, however, made an immediate impact. He finished his rookie season with an average of 12 points and 10 rebounds, setting several NBA records in the process. He became the youngest player in NBA history to average a double double in the regular season. He also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 10 rebounds in a season and youngest NBA player ever to record at least 20 rebounds in a game. Howard's importance to the Magic was highlighted when he became the first player in NBA history directly out of high school to start all 82 games during his rookie season. For his efforts, he was selected to play in the 2005 NBA Rookie Challenge, and was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team. He also finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Howard reported to camp for his second NBA season having added 20 pounds of muscle during the off-season. Orlando coach Brian Hill—responsible for grooming former Magic superstar Shaquille O'Neal—decided that Howard should be converted into a full-fledged center. Hill identified two areas where Howard needed to improve: his post-up game and his defense. He exerted extra pressure on Howard, saying that the Magic would need him to emerge as a force in the middle before the team had a chance at the playoffs. On November 15, 2005, in a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Howard recorded 21 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to score 20 or more points and gather 20 or more rebounds in the same game. He was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the 2006 Rookie Challenge during the All-Star break. Overall, he averaged 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, ranking second in the NBA in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds, and double-doubles and sixth in field goal percentage. Despite Howard's improvement, the Magic finished the season with a 36–46 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season since Howard's arrival.

In the 2006–07 season (and for the third consecutive season), Howard played in all 82 regular-season games. On February 1, 2007, he received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. On February 9, he made a game-winning alley-oop off an inbound pass at the buzzer against the San Antonio Spurs. Howard set a new career high with 35 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 14. Under his leadership, the Magic qualified for the 2007 NBA Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. There, the Magic were swept by the Detroit Pistons in the first round. For the season, Howard averaged 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, finishing first in the NBA in total rebounds, second in field goal percentage, and ninth in blocks. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team at the end of the 2006–07 campaign.

Howard continued posting impressive numbers in the 2007–08 season and helped the Magic have their best season to date. Howard was named as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. On February 16, 2008, he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest by receiving 78% of the fan's votes via text messaging or online voting; in that contest, he performed a series of innovative dunks said to have rejuvenated the contest, including donning a Superman cape for one of the dunks. Howard led the Magic to their first division title in 12 years and to the third seed for the 2008 NBA Playoffs. In their first round match-up against the Toronto Raptors, Howard's dominance (three 20-point/20-rebound games) helped Orlando to prevail in five games. Howard's series total of 91 rebounds was also greater than the total rebounds collected by the entire Toronto frontcourt. In the second round against the Pistons, the Magic lost in five games. For the season, Howard was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time, and was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.

Dominance and NBA Finals appearance (2008–2011)

The 2008–09 season began well for Howard. Ten games into the season, the center was leading the league in blocks per game (4.2). In December, Howard injured his left knee, which caused him to miss a game due to injury for the first time in his NBA career; previously, he had played in 351 consecutive games. He garnered a record 3.1 million votes to earn the starting berth on the Eastern Conference team for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game. Howard led Orlando to its second straight Southeast Division title and to the third seed for the 2009 NBA Playoffs; the team finished the season with a 59–23 record. In the first round of the playoffs against the 76ers, Howard recorded 24 points and 24 rebounds in Game 5 to give Orlando a 3–2 lead before the Magic closed out the series in six games. In the second round against the Boston Celtics, after the Magic blew a lead in Game 5 to fall behind 3–2 in the series, Howard publicly stated that he should have been given the ball more and questioned coach Stan Van Gundy's tactics. The Magic went on to defeat Boston to win the series and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. There they, defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–2. Howard had a playoff career-high 40 points to go with his 14 rebounds in the deciding Game 6, leading Orlando to the NBA Finals for the first time in 14 years. In the NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers took the first two home games, before a home win by the Magic brought the deficit to 2–1. In Game 4, despite Howard putting up 21 rebounds and a Finals record of 9 blocks in a game, the Magic lost in overtime. The Lakers went on to clinch the series with a win in Game 5. For the season, Howard became the youngest player ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and to the All-NBA First Team.

In the 2009–10 season, the Magic got off to a strong start, winning 17 of their first 21 games and setting a franchise record. On January 21, 2010, Howard was named as the starting center for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. The Magic completed the regular season with 59 wins and their third consecutive division title. The Magic's playoff run resulted another Eastern Conference Finals appearance, where they lost in six games to the Celtics. Howard won the Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second straight year. He became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in blocks and rebounds in the same season twice—and for two years in a row.

In the 2010–11 season, Howard posted career highs in points and field goal percentage. He became the first player in league history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors for three consecutive seasons. Howard led the league in double-doubles and also averaged 14.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and a career-high 1.3 steals this season. He led the Magic to 52 wins, as they finished as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They went on to lose to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of 2011 NBA Playoffs. He had a playoff career-high 46 points and 19 rebounds in Orlando's 103–93 loss to Atlanta in Game 1. Howard led the NBA in technical fouls with 18 in the regular season, and received one-game suspensions after his 16th and 18th technicals.

Final season in Orlando (2011–2012)
Due to a lockout, the 2011–12 regular season was shortened to 66 games. Not long after the lockout ended, Howard, who was eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season, demanded a trade to the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks. Howard stated that although his preference was to remain in Orlando, he did not feel the Magic organization was doing enough to build a championship contender. He would later meet with Magic officials and agree to back off his trade demands, but stated that he also felt the team needed to make changes to the roster if they wanted to contend for a championship.

On January 12, 2012, Howard attempted an NBA regular season record 39 free throws against the Golden State Warriors. Howard entered the game making 42 percent of his free throws for the season and just below 60 percent for his career. The Warriors hacked Howard intentionally throughout the game, and he broke Wilt Chamberlain's regular-season record of 34 set in 1962. Howard made 21 of the 39 attempts, finishing with 45 points and 23 rebounds in the Magic's 117–109 victory. On January 24, 2012, Howard became the Magic's all-time scoring leader.

On March 15, 2012, on the day of the trading deadline for the 2011–12 NBA season, Howard waived his right to opt out of his contract at the end of the season and committed to stay with the Magic through the 2012–13 season. He had previously asked to be traded to the New Jersey Nets. Had he not signed the amendment, the Magic were prepared to trade him to avoid losing him as a free agent. On April 5, Van Gundy said that he had been informed by management that Howard wanted him fired. During the interview, the center walked up and hugged his coach, unaware that Van Gundy had confirmed a report that Howard denied. Van Gundy was let go after the season.

On April 19, 2012, Howard's agent said that Howard would undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back and would miss the rest of the 2011–12 season, as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. During the offseason, Howard again requested a trade to the Nets, who had relocated to Brooklyn. He intended to become a free agent at the end of the 2012–13 season if he was not traded to Brooklyn.

Los Angeles Lakers (2012–2013)

On August 10, 2012, Howard was traded from Orlando to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that also involved the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets. Howard took six months off from basketball after his April back surgery, and only had the combined four weeks of training camp and preseason to prepare for the season. Still working himself into shape, Howard paced himself throughout the season on both offense and defense. On January 4, 2013, Howard injured his right shoulder in the second half of the Lakers' 107–102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. At the midpoint of the season, the Lakers were a disappointing 17–24. Howard was averaging 17.1 points on 58.2% shooting, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks, but also 3.6 fouls a game with 3.2 turnovers while making only 50.4% of his free throws.

Howard was upset that he was not getting the ball enough, and he felt that Kobe Bryant was shooting too much. Moving forward, Howard said he needed to "bring it" and dominate in more ways than just scoring. Howard missed games due to his recurring shoulder injury in January and February. In February, Bryant said that Howard "worries too much" and "doesn't want to let anyone down", urging him to play through the pain when Pau Gasol was sidelined with a torn plantar fascia. Howard returned the next game after commenting that Bryant was "not a doctor, I'm not a doctor. That's his opinion."

During the All-Star break, Howard adopted a healthier diet to get into better shape to anchor the Lakers' defense and run head coach Mike D'Antoni's preferred pick and rolls. Still, on February 23, Howard said he was "not even close" to physically being where he wanted to be. Coach Mike D'Antoni attributed Howard's difficulty running the pick-and-roll—a play the coach had expected would be a staple for the team—with Steve Nash to Howard's lack of conditioning. The Lakers were 8–2 after the All-Star break, passing Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and Howard averaged 15.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. In his first game back in Orlando on March 12, Howard scored a season-high 39 points and had 16 rebounds in a 106–97 Lakers win. Booed throughout the game, he made 25 of 39 free throws, setting franchise records for free throws made and attempted while tying his own NBA record for attempts. Howard made 16 of 20 free throws when he was fouled intentionally by the Magic. With Howard anchoring the Lakers defense and his improved overall play, the Lakers made the playoffs, but were swept in the opening round by San Antonio. Howard was ejected in Game 4 with over nine minutes left in the third quarter.

Howard finished the season with his lowest scoring average since his second year in the NBA, but he was the league leader in rebounding and ranked second in field goal percentage. Although he was recovering from his back surgery, he only missed six games all season—all due to his torn labrum. Howard was named to the All-NBA Third Team after having received five consecutive first-team honors. He became a free agent in the summer, and he was offered a maximum contract of five years and $118 million by the Lakers.

Houston Rockets (2013–2016)

On July 13, 2013, Howard signed with the Houston Rockets, joining James Harden to form a formidable duo. Howard finished the regular season with averages of 18.3 points and 12.2 rebounds and earned All-NBA Second Team honors. During the 2014 playoffs, Howard averaged 26 points and 13.7 rebounds per game, but the Rockets were eliminated by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, losing the series 4–2.

After playing in the Rockets' first 10 out of 11 games to start the 2014–15 season, Howard missed 11 straight due to a strained right knee before returning to action on December 13 against the Denver Nuggets and recording his 10,000th career rebound. However, on January 31, Howard was ruled out for a further month due to persistent trouble with his right knee. After setbacks forced him out for a further month and a total of 26 games, Howard returned to action on March 25 against the New Orleans Pelicans. He started the game but was held under 17 minutes by coach Kevin McHale and finished with just four points and seven rebounds in a 95–93 win. Howard played only 41 games in the regular season. The Rockets clinched their first division title in over 20 years and made it to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost 4–1 to the Golden State Warriors.

On November 4, 2015, Howard had 23 points and 14 rebounds against the Orlando Magic. He shot 10-of-10 to become the first Rocket to make 10 or more field goals without a miss since Yao Ming went 12-of-12 in 2009. On December 26, he eclipsed 15,000 points for his career in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. On January 18, 2016, in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Howard had 36 points and tied a career high with 26 rebounds en route to his 10th straight double-double, the league's longest active streak at the time, and his longest since a 14-game run in 2012–13. On June 22, 2016, Howard declined his $23 million player option for the 2016–17 season and became an unrestricted free agent.

Atlanta Hawks (2016–2017)

On July 12, 2016, Howard signed a three-year, $70 million contract with his hometown team the Atlanta Hawks. With the retirement of Tim Duncan, Howard entered the 2016–17 season as the NBA's active leader in rebounds (12,089) and blocked shots (1,916). In his debut for the Hawks in their season opener on October 27, Howard grabbed 19 rebounds in a 114–99 win over the Washington Wizards. It was the most rebounds for anyone in their Atlanta debut, breaking the mark of 18 that Shareef Abdur-Rahim set on October 30, 2001. On November 2, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 123–116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. On February 2, he had a season-best game with 24 points and 23 rebounds in a 113–108 win over the Rockets in Houston.

Charlotte Hornets (2017–2018)
On June 20, 2017, the Hawks traded Howard, along with the 31st overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Marco Belinelli, Miles Plumlee and the 41st overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. To begin the season, Howard became the first Charlotte player since Emeka Okafor in 2007 with four consecutive 15-rebound games. In the fifth game of the season, he had another 15-rebound game. On March 15, he scored 20 of his season-high 33 points in the second half of the Hornets' 129–117 win over the Atlanta Hawks. On March 21, Howard recorded 32 points and a franchise-record 30 rebounds in a 111–105 win over the Nets, becoming just the eighth player in league history with a 30–30 game. He became the first NBA player with a 30-point, 30-rebound game since Kevin Love in November 2010, and the first player with a 30–30 game against the Nets since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 1978. The next day, Howard was suspended for one game without pay due to receiving his 16th technical foul of the season. Howard finished the season with a franchise-record 53 double-doubles and joined Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to hold single-season records with two teams. Howard also became one of six players to average a double-double in each of his first 13 seasons in the league.

On July 6, 2018, Howard was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Timofey Mozgov, the draft rights to Hamidou Diallo, a 2021 second-round draft pick and cash considerations. He was waived by the Nets immediately upon being acquired.

Washington Wizards (2018–2019)
On July 12, 2018, Howard signed with the Washington Wizards. He missed all of training camp, every exhibition game and the first seven regular-season games with a sore backside. He appeared in nine games in November before missing the rest of the season after undergoing spinal surgery to relieve pain in his glutes. In March 2019, it was revealed that Howard, in addition to his back injury, was also dealing with a hamstring issue. On April 18, 2019, Howard exercised his $5.6 million player option to play a second season with the Wizards.

On July 6, 2019, Howard was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for forward C. J. Miles. On August 24, 2019, Howard was waived by the Grizzlies.

Return to the Lakers (2019–2020)
On August 26, 2019, Howard signed a $2.6 million veteran's minimum contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, reuniting him with his former team. He was replacing DeMarcus Cousins, a free agent signed earlier in the offseason who was lost for the year after suffering a knee injury. To assure the team that he would accept any role the team asked, Howard offered to sign a non-guaranteed contract, freeing the Lakers to cut him at any time.

During the season, the Lakers split time fairly evenly between him and starting center JaVale McGee. On January 13, 2020, Howard scored a season-high 21 points on a 9-of-11 shooting and got a season-high 15 rebounds. In Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets, Lakers coach Frank Vogel started Howard to match up against the Nuggets' Nikola Jokić. Howard had 12 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes to help the Lakers win and take a 3–1 lead in the series. He had started twice during the regular season, but this was his first start by coach's decision when McGee was available. The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals, winning the series 4–2 over the Miami Heat and giving Howard his first NBA championship.

Philadelphia 76ers (2020–2021) 
On November 21, 2020, the Philadelphia 76ers signed Howard to a one-year deal worth $2,564,753. With the 76ers he averaged 7 points and 8.4 rebounds. Howard played 69 games with the Sixers with six starts in 17.3 minutes. He was suspended for one game after getting into a scuffle with Udonis Haslem where both were assessed technical fouls and Haslem was ejected. Howard was suspended because he incurred his 16th technical foul of the year.

Third stint with the Lakers (2021–present) 
Howard signed a $2.6 million veteran's minimum contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on August 6, 2021.

National team career

On March 5, 2006, Howard was named to the 2006–2008 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program. As the team's regular starting center, he helped lead the team to a 5–0 record during its pre-World Championship tour, and subsequently helped the team win the bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. During the FIBA Americas Championship 2007, Howard was on the team which won its first nine games en route to qualifying for the finals and a spot for the 2008 Olympics. He started in eight of those nine games, averaging 8.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg and led the team in shooting .778 from the field. In the finals, he made all seven of his shots and scored 20 points as the USA defeated Argentina to win the gold medal.

On June 23, 2008, Howard was named as one of the members of the 12-man squad representing the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. With Howard starting as center, Team USA won all of its games en route to the gold medal, breaking their drought of gold medals dating back to the 2000 Olympics. Howard averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the tournament.

Player profile
Standing  and weighing , Howard plays the center position. He led the NBA in rebounding from 2007 to 2010, and again from 2012 to 2013.  Howard's rebounding is in part facilitated by his extraordinary athleticism; his running vertical leap was tested at  in 2011, rare for a player of his size. He demonstrated this skill in the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest, where he completed an alley oop dunk from teammate Jameer Nelson while slapping a sticker onto the backboard at  high. The sticker showed an image of his own smiling face with a handwritten "All things through Christ Phil: 4:13", a paraphrase of .

Howard's abilities and powerful physique have drawn attention from fellow NBA All-Stars. Tim Duncan remarked in 2007, "[Howard] is so developed... He has so much promise and I am glad that I will be out of the league when he is peaking." Kevin Garnett echoed those sentiments: "[Howard] is a freak of nature, man... I was nowhere near that physically talented. I wasn't that gifted, as far as body and physical presence." After a game in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala said: "It's like he can guard two guys at once. He can guard his guy and the guy coming off the pick-and-roll, which is almost impossible to do... If he gets any more athletic or jumps any higher, they're going to have to change the rules." In December 2007, ESPN writer David Thorpe declared Howard the most dominant center in the NBA. Early in his career, many sports pundits rated Howard one of the top young prospects in the NBA.

Howard has a reputation as a negative locker room presence. In a 2013 interview, he called his former Orlando Magic teammates a "team full of people no one wanted". In a 2013 article titled "Is Dwight Howard the NBA's Worst Teammate?", Bleacher Report asserted that Howard had "extinguished all bridges with the franchise where he spent his first eight NBA seasons". Howard did not get along with Kobe Bryant when he played for the Lakers and did not get along with James Harden when he played for the Rockets. When he was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Charlotte Hornets, some of his Hawks teammates reportedly cheered. After Charlotte traded Howard to the Washington Wizards, Charlotte player Brendan Haywood asserted that Howard's teammates were "sick and tired of his act". In 2018, NBC News reported that "Howard’s time with the Magic, Lakers and Rockets devolved into interpersonal strife well before he left those teams". Also in 2018, The Ringer published a piece titled "Everybody (Still) Hates Dwight" in which it called Howard "almost certainly the least popular player in the NBA". Before signing with the Lakers in 2019, Howard reportedly met with the team multiple times, "promising not to live up to his reputation as a difficult teammate who disrupts locker rooms"; the team warned him that he would be released if he became a disruptive presence.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 82 || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 32.6 || .520 || .000 || .671 || 10.0 || .9 || .9 || 1.7 || 12.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 81 || 36.8 || .531 || .000 || .595 || 12.5 || 1.5 || .8 || 1.4 || 15.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 36.9 || .603 || .500 || .586 || 12.3 || 1.9 || .9 || 1.9 || 17.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 37.7 || .599 || .000 || .590 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 14.2* || 1.3 || .9 || 2.1 || 20.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 79 || 79 || 35.7 || .572 || .000 || .594 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 13.8* || 1.4 || 1.0 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 2.9* || 20.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 34.7 || style="background:#cfecec;"| .612* || .000 || .592 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 13.2* || 1.8 || .9 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 2.8* || 18.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 78 || 78 || 37.5 || .593 || .000 || .596 || 14.1 || 1.4 || 1.4 || 2.4 || 22.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 54 || 54 || 38.3 || .573 || .000 || .491 || style="background:#cfecec;"|14.5* || 1.9 || 1.5 || 2.1 || 20.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers
| 76 || 76 || 35.8 || .578 || .167 || .492 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 12.4* || 1.4 || 1.1 || 2.4 || 17.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Houston
| 71 || 71 || 33.7 || .591 || .286 || .547 || 12.2 || 1.8 || .8 || 1.8 || 18.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Houston
| 41 || 41 || 29.8 || .593 || .500 || .528 || 10.5 || 1.2 || .7 || 1.3 || 15.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Houston
| 71 || 71 || 32.1 || .620 || .000  || .489 || 11.8 || 1.4 || 1.0 || 1.6 || 13.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta
| 74|| 74 || 29.7 || .633 || .000  || .533 || 12.7 || 1.4 || .9 || 1.2 || 13.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Charlotte
| 81 || 81 || 30.4 || .555 || .143  || .574 || 12.5 || 1.3 || .6 || 1.6 || 16.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Washington
| 9 || 9 || 25.6 || .623 || .000  || .604 || 9.2 || .4 || .8 || .4 || 12.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|†
| style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers
| 69 || 2 || 18.9 || .729 || .600  || .514 || 7.3 || .7 || .4 || 1.1 || 7.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia
| 69 || 6 || 17.3 || .587 || .250  || .576 || 8.4 || .9 || .4 || .9 || 7.0
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 1182 || 1051 || 32.6 || .586 || .159 || .566 || 12.1 || 1.4 || .9 || 1.9 || 16.2
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|All-Star
| 8 || 6 || 23.3 || .642 || .154 || .450 || 8.8 || 1.5 || .6 || 1.1 || 12.1

Playoffs

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2007
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 4 || 4 || 41.8 || .548 || .000 || .455 || 14.8 || 1.8 || .5 || 1.0 || 15.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2008
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 10 || 10 || 42.1 || .581 || .000 || .542 || 15.8 || .9 || .8 || 3.4 || 18.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2009
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 23 || 23 || 39.3 || .601 || .000 || .636 || 15.3 || 1.9 || .9 || 2.6 || 20.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2010
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 14 || 14 || 35.5 || .614 || .000 || .519 || 11.1 || 1.4 || .8 || 3.5|| 18.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2011
| style="text-align:left;"|Orlando
| 6 || 6 || 43.0 || .630 || .000 ||.682 || 15.5 || 0.5 || .7 || 1.8 || 27.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2013
| style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers
| 4 || 4 || 31.5 || .619 || .000 || .444 || 10.8 || 1.0 || .5 || 2.0 || 17.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2014
| style="text-align:left;"|Houston
| 6 || 6 || 38.5 || .547 || .000 || .625 || 13.7 || 1.8 || .7 || 2.8 || 26.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2015
| style="text-align:left;"|Houston
| 17 || 17 || 33.8 || .577 || .000 || .412 || 14.0 || 1.2 || 1.4 || 2.3 || 16.4 
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2016
| style="text-align:left;"|Houston
| 5 || 5 || 36.0 || .542 || .000 || .368 || 14.0 || 1.6 || .8 || 1.4 || 13.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2017
| style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta
| 6 || 6 || 26.1 || .500 || .000 || .632 || 10.7 || 1.3 || 1.0 || .8 || 8.0
|-
|style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|2020†
|style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers
| 18 || 7 || 15.7 || .684 || .500 || .556 || 4.6 || .5 || .4 || .4 || 5.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2021
| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia
| 12 || 0 || 12.4 || .533 || .000 || .600 || 6.3 || .7 || .2 || .5 || 4.7
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 125 || 102 || 31.6 || .589 || .143 || .548 || 11.8 || 1.2 || .8 || 2.0 || 15.3

Televised appearances
Howard appeared as a special guest on an episode of the ABC series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that aired April 2, 2006, in which Ty Pennington and his team built a new home and ministry offices for Sadie Holmes, who operates a social services ministry in the Orlando area.

Howard competed in season 6 of The Masked Singer as "Octopus". He was the first one to be eliminated during the two-night premiere alongside Vivica A. Fox as "Mother Nature" and Toni Braxton as "Pufferfish".

Personal life
Howard has five children by five women. In 2010, Howard won a defamation judgment against Royce Reed, the mother of his oldest child Braylon. A Florida judge ruled that she violated a court order prohibiting her from mentioning Howard in the media. He had initially sought about half a billion dollars in damages, claiming that she had disparaged him through Twitter and her appearances on the reality television show, Basketball Wives, as the couple's paternity agreement stipulated a $500 fine for each time she mentioned him in public.

In October 2014, police in Cobb County, Georgia investigated claims by Reed that Howard abused their son. Howard had admitted to hitting Braylon with a belt; he had been disciplined in the same manner while growing up, and he stated that he did not realize it was wrong to do so. Howard was not charged in connection with the allegations. Howard was also involved in a civil case with Reed over custody of their son.

Howard keeps approximately 20 snakes as pets and has appeared twice in Animal Planet's reality TV series Tanked. He owns a farm "in north Georgia where he relaxes [with] cows, hogs, turkeys and deer," and also grows vegetables on his estate.

Melissa Rios, the mother of his son, David, died on March 27, 2020, following an epileptic seizure. David was with Howard at his home in Georgia at the time to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic.

Philanthropy, faith, and public image
Before he was drafted in 2004, Howard said that he wanted to use his NBA career and Christian faith to "raise the name of God within the league and throughout the world". He has stated he believes in reaching out to his community and fans and thus contributes substantially in the field of philanthropy. Together with his parents, Howard established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation Inc. in 2004. In November 2009, the center was named one of the 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which awards athletes for their charitable work.

In 2014, Epix featured Howard as the focal point of a documentary about his life called In the Moment.

See also

 List of career achievements by Dwight Howard
 List of National Basketball Association career games played leaders
 List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders
 List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
 List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders
 List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders
 List of National Basketball Association career playoff blocks leaders
 List of National Basketball Association annual rebounding leaders
 List of National Basketball Association annual blocks leaders
 List of National Basketball Association players with most blocks in a game
 List of National Basketball Association players with most rebounds in a game
 List of National Basketball Association franchise career scoring leaders

Notes

References

External links

 

1985 births
Living people
2006 FIBA World Championship players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
African-American basketball players
African-American Christians
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks players
Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Atlanta
Centers (basketball)
Charlotte Hornets players
Houston Rockets players
Los Angeles Lakers players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
National Basketball Association All-Stars
National Basketball Association high school draftees
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball
Orlando Magic draft picks
Orlando Magic players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Philadelphia 76ers players
Power forwards (basketball)
United States men's national basketball team players
Washington Wizards players
20th-century African-American people
Highlights for Children, often referred to simply as Highlights, is an American children's magazine. It began publication in June 1946, started by Garry Cleveland Myers and his wife Caroline Clark Myers in Honesdale, Pennsylvania (the present location of its editorial office). They both worked for another children's magazine, Children's Activities, for twelve years before leaving to start Highlights. Since its inception Highlights has carried the slogan "Fun with a Purpose".

The company is now based in Columbus, Ohio, and owns book publishers Zaner-Bloser, Stenhouse Publishers, and Staff Development for Educators. Its Boyds Mills Press division was sold to Kane Press in 2019. Highlights has surpassed one billion copies in print. Highlights, High Five, and Hello magazines do not carry any third-party advertising or commercial messages.

The Highlights Foundation, in Pennsylvania, is a public, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization supported by individuals, several publishing companies, and writers' organizations that are committed to improving the quality of children's literature by helping authors and illustrators hone their craft. Its location is the former home of the founders of Highlights for Children.

Before Highlights
Garry Myers earned a PhD in psychology from Columbia University before World War I, providing a basis for the teaching he would do the rest of his life. He and Caroline Myers taught illiterate soldiers for the US Army, with Caroline becoming the first female teacher employed by the Army. This experience led to their pioneering of elementary education. They taught educators and parents for a time at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, during which Garry Myers wrote a nationally syndicated column entitled Parent Problems, and the couple co-authored several books.

They had become nationally well known in education and wished to share their knowledge so they began to work for Children's Activities. Lecturing across the nation, they informed, discovered, and refined what they knew. Certain business endeavors kept them from publishing what they thought was ideal for a children's magazine. Their travels also led to long discussions on what would be appropriate for children, and after finishing with Children's Activities instead of retiring they decided to start their own magazine. Their experience, knowledge and uncompromising methods led to a success for Highlights. Later, they would buy Children's Activities and incorporate it in Highlights.

Garry and Caroline Myers tragically lost their son Garry and his wife Mary along with Highlights company vice-president Cyril Ewart, who were all passengers on TWA Flight 266, which collided over New York Harbor with United Flight 826 on December 16, 1960, while the three were on the trip to discuss distribution plans for Highlights magazine. There was only one survivor on either plane, who died the following day.

Highlights Magazine for Children
Highlights is geared mainly to elementary school students; it contains stories and puzzles for children ages six to twelve years old. One aim of the magazine is to encourage kids to read and has something for preschoolers in every issue. Highlights illustrations feature people of all colors and its stories also cover diverse communities. Its February 2017 issue included a family with two dads, the first depiction of a same-sex relationship in the magazine's 70-year history.

In June 1946, the first issue of Highlights sold fewer than 20,000 copies. Forty years later, Highlights was the most popular children's magazine in the United States, having close to two million subscribers, with 95 percent of the copies mailed to homes. The magazine accepted no advertising and eschewed single-issue sales, but could be found in most doctors' and dentists' offices in the United States.

By 1995, Highlights circulation had grown to 2.8 million, with most subscribers still being families. In 2006, the United States Postal Service delivered the one-billionth copy of Highlights magazine to a young subscriber in Dallas, Texas. 

Highlights circulation numbers declined to about 2 million copies a month by 2015, and the magazine announced that it would move some content onto tablets and mobile devices with the help of San Francisco startup, Fingerprint Digital, led by former LeapFrog Enterprises executive Nancy MacIntyre. The magazine launched a new mobile app Highlights Every Day, in April 2017.

Highlights High Five Magazine for PreschoolersHighlights High Five is a younger children's counterpart to Highlights, first published with the January 2007 issue. This children's magazine is for preschoolers ages two through six. The goal of High Five is to help children develop and to give parent and child a fun and meaningful activity to do together each month. Every issue is 40 pages and includes poems and stories, crafts, easy recipes, games, puzzles and other activities that encourage children to be lifelong learners.

Highlights Hello Magazine for ToddlersHighlights Hello Magazine was introduced in December 2012. This magazine for babies and toddlers targets children ages 0–2 years old. Highlights announced that this magazine, which is offered in several subscription packages is designed specifically for babies.

Regular featuresAsk ArizonaAppearing in the magazine since 2005, "Ask Arizona" is a story series featuring a girl named Arizona who writes an advice column for other children, similar to Dear Abby or Ask Ann Landers. The article depicts real-life experiences and appears in every issue.Hidden Pictures"Hidden Pictures", published in every issue of Highlights since the magazine's inception, is now found on page 14 of each issue. Children find the smaller hidden pictures within the larger picture.Goofus and GallantFirst appearing in Highlights in 1948, Goofus and Gallant is a cartoon feature created by Garry Cleveland Myers and drawn by Anni Matsick. The strip features two contrasting boys, Goofus and Gallant. In each cartoon, it is shown how each boy would respond to the same situation. Goofus chooses an irresponsible and immature path, while Gallant chooses a responsible, mature and kind path. Often the panels would provide a description, such as on a school bus: Goofus hogs his seat – Gallant makes space for someone else to sit down. Sometimes the situations would show the boys talking, such as phone courtesy when parents are away: Goofus: "Someone called but I forgot their name." Gallant: "Someone called for you. I wrote down their name and number". Goofus and Gallant's primary function is to teach children basic social skills. Originally drawn in black and white, Goofus and Gallant changed to colored pencils in 1994 and later changed to colored computer graphics in December 2005.The TimbertoesCreated for a 1932 book of the same name (published by The Harter Publishing Company) by writers Edna M. Aldredge and Jessie F. McKee along with illustrator John Gee, The Timbertoes has appeared in Highlights magazine for more than 50 years. The first Highlights incarnation was a full-page black and white comic strip featuring line-drawn characters, later switching to digital color in 2003. The Timbertoes family consists of parents Ma and Pa and their children Tommy and Mabel. The characters, including their dog Spot, cat Splinter, goat Butter, and horse Troy are depicted as being constructed from wood. Upon Gee's death, Highlights Senior Editor Marileta Robinson took over writing the strip, with illustrations done by Judith Hunt. Since 2003, the Timbertoes have appeared in color with Ron Zalme as the illustrator. Rich Wallace is the current writer.JokesAppearing in every issue is a series of 10 jokes of various kinds. A knock-knock joke is always included as a part of this feature.RiddlesA series of ten riddles. The punchlines appear upside-down at the bottom of the column.Your Own Pages"Your Own Pages" is a feature that prints drawings, poems, and stories by readers who submit them to the magazine.What's Wrong?Featured on the back cover, "What's Wrong?" is a large drawing of a typical scene of children playing, but unusual objects take the place of normal things throughout the picture. The page instructs the reader to find the various objects that are wrong.CraftsThis is a section where kids can make different crafts, such as puzzles, puppets and cards.Brain PlayThis section comprises a list of several simple questions for children.ContestsSometimes Highlights would have an illustration of something and would ask if a reader could submit a short story to accompany this. Other times it could be an unfinished story and the contest would ask if the readers could submit a few paragraphs to complete it. Several ideas would be chosen as winners and featured in a future issue.Dear Highlights"Dear Highlights" is an advice column from real children appearing at the back of each issue.Puzzles, Short Stories, and PoemsEvery issue of Highlights features puzzles, short stories, and poems throughout the issue. A puzzle is always featured at the front side of the back cover.Your Best Self"Your Best Self" is a one-panel comic showing kids doing the right thing that appeared until February 2015.The Bear Family'''This was a cartoon created by Garry Cleveland Myers. It focuses on a family of bears consisting of Father Bear, Mother Bear, daughter Woozy, and sons Poozy and Piddy. They learned about everything from name-calling to discipline.

Former features

Aloysius
The Aloysius stories were written by Sydney K. Davis. They centralized on an anthropomorphic wolf named Aloysius, who would get into a situation and have to be rescued by the other characters in the story, a male named Samuel Samuel and a female named Wanda. These appeared until 1993.

 Digital media 
In 2010, Highlights released a series of educational mobile apps on the iOS App Store.

In September 2015, Highlights announced a partnership with Fingerprint—a San Francisco–based startup company involved in the development of edutainment apps, in launching apps that would serve as a complement to the printed Highlights magazine, including an upcoming service that would offer daily content drawing upon the resources and back catalog of Highlights and its recurring features, and a full digital version of the magazine that will feature a "personalized" experience and integrated multimedia content. The subscription service, Highlights Every Day, officially launched in April 2016.

On June 25, 2019, Highlights for Childrens Twitter account denounced the practice of family separation at the Mexico–United States border.

 See also 
 
 

References

External links
 Official site
 "Highlights for Children 1 Billion Strong". Business First of Columbus'', June 12, 2006.

Advertising-free magazines
Children's magazines published in the United States
Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Magazines established in 1946
Magazines published in Ohio
Magazines published in Pennsylvania
Mass media in Columbus, Ohio
Monthly magazines published in the United States Mahmoud Shokoko (; 1 May 1912 – 12 February 1985) was an Egyptian actor and artist. He is best known for his puppet character "Aragouzsho".

Early days 

“Mahmoud Shokoko", whose real name is "Mahmoud Ibrahim Ismail Musa" (), was born on May 1, 1912. He began his working career as a carpenter with his father and remained working with him until the age of twenty-three.

Shokoko joined up with some acting troupes army on Irak that performed at the coffee shops facing his father’s workshop while he had free time. What initially began as a hobby turned into a passion, and “Shokoko” began performing at weddings as well as in other troupes such as "Hassan 2 Al-Maghrabi" and “Mohammed 6". From there on he began to gain some notoriety around the world.

Though he was illiterate, “Shokoko” was able to have a huge impact on the world of acting, and will always be remembered for his puppet character of “Aragouzsho" who is still kept at the Music Institute and the Institute of Acting today.

Career highlights 

His first movie, Al-Sabr Tayeb, was released on June 13, 1959 and brought him into the mainstream.
He was a subject of a Google doodle for Google Middle East on 1 May 2014.

References 

1912 births
1985 deaths
Egyptian male film actors
20th-century Egyptian male actors