Dwight Howard's love letter 'joke' to Orlando Magic fans

Dwight Howard professed 'love' for Orlando and Magic. (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dwight Howard's "love letter" to the City of Orlando and Magic fans may do even more damage to his already tainted image in Florida.

Howard paid for a full-age ad that appeared in today's Orlando Sentinel newspaper.

The ad reads:

“To play the game of basketball in the NBA is a blessing and to have had the opportunity to play before the Orlando fans for eight years was truly a privilege and an honor.

“Words cannot express the love that I have for Orlando. With your support we have done great things in this city from hanging banners to impacting our youth.

“Although my career with the Magic has come to a close, my love for the city and the people that make it beautiful will never end.”

Howard's profession of love for Orlando comes less than a month after the All-Star center's persistent trade requests became the catalyst for a four-team deal that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sentinel writer George Diaz may have captured the hurt feelings of many Magic fans by relating Howard's questionable display of affection a comedy song written and performed by the late comedian and actor Sam Kinison, titled “Love Song.”

 He wrote a tune about getting dumped by his girlfriend, who reached out and asked if they could still be friends. It is now an unrequited love.

After a soft mellow introduction on the piano, (“I wrote her this song and it goes like this..”) Kinison goes into his usual ballistic rampage:

“You used me! You never loved me! I hope you slide under a gas truck and taste your own blood! DIE! DIE! DIE! I want my records back! I want my [bleeping] records back!”

That’s how Magic fans feel about Howard, hopefully without the gas truck dying thing.

Sorry Dwight.