Basketball
| Born: | December 08, 1985 Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|
| Hometown: | Atlanta, GA |
| Residence: | Orlando, FL |
| Ht: / Wt: | 6'11" / 265 lbs |
| Event(s): | Men's basketball |
| Position: | Center |
Young at center
The youngest player on the team in Beijing, 22-year-old Dwight Howard will make his Olympic debut in 2008. He was the starting center in nine of 10 games for the U.S. men's basketball team that went undefeated at the 2007 FIBA Americas tournament, which qualified Team USA for the 2008 Games. Howard averaged 10.0 points and a team-best 5.3 rebounds in 16.5 minutes a game, while shooting 81.4 percent from the field (35 of 43 field goals), also a team high. He made his Team USA debut at the 2006 World Championships, where he started five of nine games as the U.S. won bronze. He averaged 7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and a team-leading 1.3 blocked shots while shooting 54.1 percent from the field.
Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images Few opponents stand in the way of a dunk by Howard, the reigning NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion.
Getting to the Games
Howard says the Olympics are something he always hoped to be a part of. "I wanted to be on the Olympic team in 2004 when I first got drafted," he says. "I always wanted to play in the Olympics. The closest my family ever came to the Olympics was when my sister danced in the Opening Ceremony in Atlanta in 1996. To actually have somebody playing in the Olympic Games is very big for my family." Howard says the only event he attended was a baseball game while those 1996 Games were in his hometown of Atlanta.
Master dunker
Despite being so big, Howard is very athletic and versatile. He took the NBA Slam Dunk Contest to new heights in 2008, when he won the event with some of the most creative dunks in history. Before one such dunk, he donned a Superman shirt and red cape. "I've always wanted to be in the dunk contest to show the kind of stuff that I have as a big man," he says. "I wanted people to realize that we can be creative too. I just wanted to go out there and have fun with the fans and show everybody a little bit of my personality." Howard also participated in the 2007 contest, when one of his dunks included him placing a sticker on the backboard 12 feet, six inches off the ground.
Iron man
The 2007-08 season was Howard's fourth in the NBA. He was selected by the Orlando Magic with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft right out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy High School, and became the first NBA player directly from high school to start all 82 games of his rookie season. In fact, Howard has not missed a game since becoming a pro (342 regular and postseason games) and started all but one of those games. In 2007-08, he led the NBA in rebounding (14.2 a game) for the second straight season, was third in the league in field goal percentage (59.86 percent) and was fifth overall in blocked shots (2.15).
Georgia gem
Howard ended his career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy as the winner of the 2004 Naismith Award, which annually goes to the nation's top high school player. He also was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, McDonald's National High School Player of the Year, to the PARADE Magazine All-American Team and was a co-MVP of the 2004 McDonald's High School All-American game. Additionally, Howard was Georgia's Mr. Basketball in 2004 after leading his school to the Class A state championship as a senior, when he averaged 25.0 points, 18.0 rebounds and 8.0 blocks a game. SACA was a state runner-up in Howard's junior year.
Goal oriented
Prior to entering high school, Howard wrote down several future goals he hoped to obtain. Among them were leading his high school to a state championship and being the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Howard's father, Dwight Sr., is a Georgia State trooper in addition to being the Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Howard's mother, Sheryl, played on the inaugural women's basketball team at Morris Brown College. One of the most gregarious players in the NBA, Howard says his favorite movies are Finding Nemo and Friday.
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