Mouths snap open, eyes bug out, and collective howls rip through the room like claps of thunder. Orlando Magic superstar Howard just scored one, but not the way you think. Howard just delivered a monster slam of a joke on a hapless victim, one of his unsuspecting teammates. The three-time All-Star center doesn’t need to unfurl aerial acrobatics, à la LeBron or Kobe, to make mouths hang ajar. His joke-telling prowess in the locker room does it. That’s what people don’t know about the former national high school player of the year out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Many know Howard became the youngest player to ever average a double-double (more than 10 points in points and rebounds) in a season, the youngest to average 10 rebounds a game and the youngest to record 20 rebounds in a single game. But Howard also wants fans to get familiar with his game off the hardwood.
“I want people to know who Dwight Howard is. My Web site will be coming out soon. So that’s a great way to let people know about my personality and who I am,” says the two-time All-NBA player and perennial defensive specialist of the impending site, www.dwighthoward.com.
B-ball disciples will also know that Howard is an unabashed devout Christian and has intertwined himself within the fabric of the team’s community. Along with his parents, Howard has created the Dwight D. Howard Foundation to provide scholarships to those who want to attend his Atlanta alma mater. He has similar efforts underway for children in Orlando, Fla., as well. Because of his devotion to Central Florida, Howard received the Rich and Helen De Vos Community Enrichment Award in 2005. Howard has participated in several NBA “Read to Achieve” assemblies encouraging children to make reading a priority.
Howard is also one of the NBA’s true pranksters and impersonators. His Web site will enable Howard fans to peep the humor beneath the sculpted frame. “What’s going to be on it? Everything you can think of — Dwight Howard TV, MySpace, Facebook, everything. [I’m] just looking forward to it. There’s going to be singing, dancing. I got impersonations already on there. Just stay tuned,” he says. –terry shropshire
