Dwight Howard's Accomplishments

From being selected first overall in The 2004 NBA Draft, to winning a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, Dwight Howard has had an amazing 12 year career. He grew up in Atlanta and played at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Dwight Howard is an extremely unique basketball player and a great person to be around. He has had a great career thus far, is considered one of the greatest centers of all time, and will more than likely be a Hall of Fame Inductee. Born December 9, 1985, Dwight Howard II grew up into an incredibly talented family. He was surrounded by great basketball players, including his sister, mother, and father who had all played competitively. His parents played high school basketball, however his sister played college basketball at Alcorn State, in Mississippi. His family was very strict and attended church as often as they could. Apparently attending a Christian school had a big effect on him since he now hosts many fundraisers and often visits neighborhoods around southwest Atlanta. Dwight is well known for his bright and endless smile while playing in games. He was a very smart and friendly person while growing up. “Dwight’s always had a high basketball IQ. Now he’s grown into his body. Or you could say his body caught up with his game.” –Courtney Brooks Sadly, in his freshmen year Dwight broke his leg and had to sit out during the summer tournaments. It was a small setback, but nobody knew what to expect of him the following year. Before his sophomore year, Dwight had grown a lot. In fact, he grew 5 inches and shot up to 6’9. Usually when many people grow taller, they will often lose agility. However, Dwight had not lost any at all and became a dominant force of because of his skills. Dwight had hung a list of goals in his bedroom, and playing in the NBA was at the top of that list. Soon, Dwight was known around Atlanta as an elite player. He had earned recognition from Sports Illustrated because of his summer tournament play. He soon played for The Atlanta Celtics, a great stepping stone for rising stars. One player that had played for the Celtics was Josh Smith, who is still playing in the NBA today. After his …show more content…
He worked very efficiently and played every game of the season (82). He scored 981 points, grabbed 823 rebounds, and blocked 136 shots. During the offseason, he worked as hard as he could and trained every day. The next season his team went to the playoffs. They lost during the first round against the Detroit Pistons, however Dwight had a big surprise coming. He was selected to play on the US Men’s Basketball Team. He played alongside many amazing players including Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. 2008 was probably the best year in Howard’s life. He made it to the NBA Finals playing against Kobe Bryant and The Lakers. He also made it to the Men’s Summer Olympic Games Finals where they defeated Spain for the Olympic gold medal in 2008. Now in 2016, Dwight is currently playing for the Houston Rockets and just went to the Western Conference Finals last year. His family has always been very proud of him and always will be. “It’s like he can guard two guys at once, which is almost impossible.” –Andre