On Monday, it became official: Dwight Howard will be participating in the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season.
After weeks of waffling on whether he would join his Los Angeles Lakers in Orlando, Fla. for the season’s restart, Howard told CNN’s Don Lemon why he decided to participate after all.
Here’s Dwight Howard saying he plans to join the Lakers in Orlando, but says he’ll continue to push his initiative, ‘Breathe Again.’ Dwight says he’s gonna use his paycheck to help push the initiative and the movement. pic.twitter.com/H726ZsXCxP
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 7, 2020
Dwight Howard on @donlemon Monday night: “I feel like we have a great opportinuty, the Lakers do, for winning the title this year … Yes, I will be joining my team in Orlando.” He says he will donate the salary he earns in the bubble to the charity Breathe Again.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 7, 2020
Last month, the center seemed to be leaning towards sitting out in order to focus his efforts on the nationwide fight for social and racial justice. It appears he’s found a way to do so while also playing basketball.
After several years of individual success early in his career, Howard started to become something of a social pariah after his first stint with the Purple and Gold in 2012-13 ended badly.
He bounced around from team to team, and as his skills started to erode, it looked like his chances of ever winning an NBA championship were slim to none.
But this season, he has been a positive element for the Lakers both on and off the court. He’s given the team some much-needed muscle defensively and on the boards, and he has infused the squad with positive energy.
Helping the Lakers win the world title would mark a full and miraculous rehabilitation of Howard’s reputation and legacy.
