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The Basketball Hall of Fame is the highest honor that a player can have. It takes a lot of hard work in order to achieve this honor that is reserved for only the best players in the game.
It’s an honor that is reserved for only the best players who play the game. The 2025 Hall of Fame class was announced over the weekend with several greats from both the NBA and the WNBA on the list.
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
Dwight Howard was one of the players who was selected to the Hall of Fame. The former number-one overall pick gets the honor after playing for seven different teams over the course of his career, taking home one championship.
Howard was one of the last players to get drafted coming directly from high school. Shortly after the 2004 NBA Draft, they changed the rules so that players must be at least a year out of high school to be drafted.
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While talking about the honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Howard was overcome with emotion. He struggled to talk through exactly what his feelings were.
“I was trying not to cry so bad.” ❤️
Dwight Howard got emotional about being elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rJbSjDcCrj
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 5, 2025
Howard understands what an honor it is to be considered one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball. His resume certainly shows his worthiness to be in, as well.
Over the course of his career, Howard was named to the All-Star Team eight times, the All-NBA Team five times, and the All-NBA Defensive Team five times. Howard won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award three times in a row.
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Howard made the NBA Finals twice in his career, once with the Orlando Magic and once with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won his only championship with the 2020 Lakers in the bubble. Howard was also the Slam Dunk champion in 2008.
Over the course of his career, Howard was known as a rebounding and defensive force. That was the value he gave to teams late in his career once his offensive game started to dissipate.
During his long NBA career, Howard averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He also shot 58.7 percent from the field.
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