Despite the fact that Dwight Howard hasn’t been able to find an NBA team interested in his services ever since he left the United States for professional basketball in Asia, there is no hiding the fact that he is one of the best athletes to ever grace the sport, and he’s finally starting to earn these recognitions.
The Orlando franchise has confirmed that the veteran is set to become the 13th inductee into the Magic Hall of Fame, as announced this week by CEO Alex Martins. The date set for the celebrations is Monday, March 24 at Kia Center, close to the team’s Fan Experience.
Apart from the induction ceremony, the 39-year-old will be honored that same evening during the team’s matchup against none other than the Los Angeles Lakers, another club he played for. “Dwight Howard left an undeniable imprint on the history of the Orlando Magic,” Martins expressed.
Dwight Howard will become the 13th inductee into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame 🪄
Howard will be inducted on Monday, March 24 at 3:45 p.m. in Kia Center, near the Orlando Magic Fan Experience. https://t.co/2tdj5vBKcQ pic.twitter.com/SDPkWN1qvE
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 7, 2025
The CEO then added: “From being the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, to our trip to the 2009 NBA Finals, Dwight’s work helped us achieve great success during his eight seasons in a Magic uniform, both on the court and in the community. We are looking forward to inducting Dwight into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.”
Dwight was originally selected as the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Florida franchise and played eight campaigns for them. During this time, he competed in 621 regular season games, and only came off the bench in one of those matches. He averaged 18.4 points, 12 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1 steal per contest.
He also enjoyed plenty of playoff action with the Magic, starting in 57 matches and averaging 19.9 points, 14.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.7 blocks in 39.4 minutes per game. Back in 2009, he led Orlando to the NBA Finals, and then the Eastern Conference Finals the following year.
Believe it or not, Howard is currently the club’s all-time leader in points scored with 11,435, 8,072 rebounds, in blocked shots (1,344), free throws made with 3,366 and minutes played at 22,471. He also ranks among the club’s all-time leaders in games played, at third place with 621.
