Dwight Howard officially announces retirement after 20-year career

Dwight Howard has officially retired from basketball, ending a professional career that spanned two decades. The former Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers center made this announcement in a lengthy social media message, confirming that he is definitively stepping away from the game after playing his last NBA season in 2021-2022.

A career marked by dominance and accomplishments

Howard began his career as the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, selected by the Orlando Magic. He went on to play for several teams in the league, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. The center won an NBA championship with the Lakers during his second stint with the franchise in 2020.

While his NBA career effectively ended in 2022, Howard briefly continued to play professionally in Taiwan before finally deciding to retire completely from the sport. In his Instagram message, Howard reflected on his journey and explained the reasons for his decision.

« I woke up today on the 12th of this month and realized it was time to let go of Superman! I’m not superhuman… I cry! I struggle! I feel like everyone else, » Howard wrote. « Through the lies, the media and the hate, I still show love and smile through the storm. But now I’m taking off the cape and retiring from all basketball to focus on my family and give back to communities around the world. »

A philanthropic initiative for post-career

The former DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year) leaves the game as one of the most dominant centers of his era and one of the most accomplished big men of the 2000s and early 2010s. He ends his career averaging 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game over 18 seasons, in addition to his eight All-Star selections and three Defensive Player of the Year titles.

Howard also revealed his plans to launch a personal initiative called « D12 Day », which will see him travel to different cities around the world each month to perform acts of kindness and give back to communities.

« Every 12th of the month will now be D12 Day where I visit cities around the world and do acts of kindness for random people to give them a reason to smile, » he explained.

Dwight Howard took this announcement as an opportunity to tease an upcoming documentary that will reveal according to him « the truth about EVERYTHING, » promising to share more about his life and journey from his beginnings coming straight out of high school to join the NBA.