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Dwight Howard left the NBA years ago, but his basketball career officially ended on Thursday.
That's when Howard took to social media to announce his retirement from a well-traveled basketball career most known for his superstar days with the Orlando Magic and his NBA championship in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Howard traveled the world to continue hooping after the NBA had passed him by, but now, he has called it a career.
"I know some of you might think I thought he already 'retired' but I didn’t," Howard wrote Thursday on X. "The game retired me! I still had more left to give ! Yeah I did play professionally for 20 years and Im grateful to be able to say that but I can’t lie seeing these other players still going at it at age 40 inspired me to want to keep trying but now I believe my duty will be to pass it down to the next generation."
And yes, Howard is one of the best to ever do it.
Is Dwight Howard in the Hall of Fame?
Yes, Howard was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025.
The Orlando Magic drafted the future Hall of Famer with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He was worth the price of admission.
Howard was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year for the Magic and led the league in rebounding five times. He only missed seven games total across his first seven years with the Magic. He was always out there, dominating.
In 2007-08, Howard averaged 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
The next season, he went for 20.6 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.
He averaged 12 or more rebounds per game in 11 different seasons.
Howard blocked two-plus shots per game in five different seasons.
He put up a double-figure scoring average for his first 15 seasons in the NBA, too.
Howard played for the Lakers in three different stints after departing Orlando, including the 2019-20 season that ended in the "Bubble" championship.
He also suited up for the Rockets, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards and 76ers before playing in Taiwan and in other miscellaneous exhibition opportunities.
Howard, who also had that legendary dunk contest moment in his Superman cape, won't be taking flight any longer.
"I'm taking off the cape," Howard wrote on X, "and retiring from all basketball to pour into my family and give back to communities worldwide."
Normally, a player wouldn't be eligible for the Hall of Fame until retiring. But since Howard left a while ago, he was eligible last year.
It didn't take long for him to get in. He's one of the best to ever reside in the paint.
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