Report: Dwight Howard nominated to Hall of Fame
Dwight Howard was nominated to the Naismith Hall of Fame class of 2025 in his first year of eligibility, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday.
Howard won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and was selected to eight All-Star Games throughout his 18-year NBA career. Only Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace, and Rudy Gobert have more DPOYs than Howard.
Howard is 10th all time in rebounds (14,627), 13th all time in blocks (2,228), and 57th all time in scoring (19,485).
His one NBA title came with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, and he won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2008.
Howard was the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft and is the only player from that draft class to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Howard played the first eight years of his career with the Orlando Magic and took them to the NBA Finals in 2009. He made eight All-NBA squads - five first teams, one second team, and one third team - during his time in Orlando and is the Magic's all-time leader in minutes played (22,471), rebounds (8,072), blocks (1,344), free throws (3,366), and points (11,435).
Howard played for the Lakers on three separate occasions and spent three seasons with the Houston Rockets. He also had stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Carmelo Anthony will reportedly join Howard in the 2025 Hall of Fame class after also being selected in his first year of eligibility.