NBA Legend Dwight Howard Was in Tears After Major Personal News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated May 13, 2025 8:54 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers fans will remember Dwight Howard as a role player on the 2020 championship team as well as an All-Star on the 2012-13 squad. But before that, the 2004 No. 1 overall pick had a legendary run with the Orlando Magic.

Howard won three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2009-11, and led the league in blocks in '09 and '10. The 6-foot-10-inch center also won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2008 and led the league in rebounds five times, four of which were with the Magic. The fifth time was with the Lakers in 2013.

Howard, who spent his last season with Los Angeles in 2021-22, shared his reaction when he found out that he'd been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025, via NBA on TNT.

"I cried, man, I cried so much," the former Houston Rocket said on Tuesday. "Just from thinking about that moment when I told my dad that I wanted to be in the NBA, to being the first pick, and then obviously ending my career with the Lakers and winning a championship. That meant everything to me."

"I was just sitting back and thinking, 'Man, I had a long career, and it'd be awesome to be in the Hall of Fame,'" he continued. "Then I got that call that 'You're gonna get a call one day from the Basketball Hall of Fame.' Once I got that call, every basketball thought that I had from [first] picking up a basketball, to telling my dad that I wanted to be the number one pick, to getting up at 4:00 AM every day, every moment came back."

"I just cried thinking about those moments," he concluded.

"I just cried." @DwightHoward shares his reaction to learning he's going to the @Hoophall this year pic.twitter.com/DahuaDntLp
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 13, 2025

Howard joined Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Billy Donovan, Micky Arison, Danny Crawford, and the 2008 U.S. Olympic men's team in the 2025 class.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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