Dwight Howard is no longer in the NBA, but he’s still been able to make headlines.
The former Los Angeles Lakers center has been receiving backlash for a video that surfaced of him pushing his son to continue exercising despite crying and expressing his inability to do so.
Former NBA star Dwight Howard is receiving backlash for his tough parenting style, pushing his son to his limits until he starts to cry and tries to quit. “I want you to do it until I tell you to stop.” pic.twitter.com/ddIZXGOcKc
— Black Millionaires ® (@Blackmillions_) July 7, 2023
The video has garnered lots of attention and opinions from different people. There are plenty of people defending Howard, praising him for pushing his son. However, there are also a decent amount of people saying that Howard went a little too far and should’ve listened and eased up on his son. Howard will likely continue to parent his son the way he sees fit despite the public outcry.
The 37-year-old spent this past season in Taiwan after a third stint with the Lakers in the 2021-22 campaign. He averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game while connecting on 61.2 percent of his shots from the field.
He seemed to be an excellent fit behind Anthony Davis at the center spot, but the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was not brought back for another season.
At times last season, it looked as though the Lakers could have used Howard’s size and physicality. Wenyen Gabriel, Tristan Thompson and Mo Bamba all saw minutes at center in the playoffs. LeBron James even saw some time at center during the playoffs.
The Lakers have addressed a need for some center depth this offseason with the signing of Jaxson Hayes, who averages 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for his career. Only time will tell if the former New Orleans Pelicans big man can make an impact for the team off the bench.
Los Angeles made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season with Howard, but it was swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
Plenty of changes have been made to the roster, with newcomers like Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince and Hayes joining the squad.
The hope is that those four will play key roles and help James and Davis lead the Lakers to a title this coming season. Perhaps Howard might somehow find his way back in Los Angeles for a fourth stint, though that appears to be unlikely for now.
