Former Wizards Center Inducted into Hall of Fame

He finally gets it now after becoming a Hall of Fame player. In the beginning, Howard showed he belonged in the league. He elected to skip college and entered the draft right after high school. He was relatively thin compared to when he reached his peak. Despite being thin, he still played well but fell short of winning Rookie of the Year to a player who didn’t last long in the league, Emeka Okafor (Charlotte Bobcats).

Howard went on to become an eight-time NBA All-Star, become a part of eight All-NBA teams, win the Defensive Player of the Year Award three different times, and even won the Gold Medal for Team USA. Despite his success, he still wasn’t getting the respect he deserved. Starting his career in Orlando with the Magic and then being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers drew many comparisons to the great Shaquille O’Neal, so that did not work in his favor.

Howard also went on to play for the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers and the Wizards.

With the Wizards, Howard only started and appeared in nine games as he battled a significant injury during the 2018-19 season. He averaged just 12 points to go along with nine rebounds per game.

Howard never got the respect he deserved. There was a period that he went through where no team in the NBA wanted his services so he ended up playing overseas for the Taiwan Beer Leopards. Howard even missed the cut of making the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. It wasn’t until his return to the Lakers that Howard got a measure of respect as he won the 2020 NBA Championship in the bubble with LeBron James.

Now a part of the Hall of Fame, Howard has finally earned the respect he deserves. He may not have been Shaq or even the best offensive player, but he certainly was one of the best players in the NBA to ever be remembered.

Now, Howard is officially a part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.