Track the Arc of Dwight Howard’s Career with His Sports Illustrated Covers

Four covers, four very different Dwight Howards.

Dwight Howard lands on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week for the fourth time in his career, and what a strange career it’s been. Each of Howard’s SI covers marks a different stage in his up-and-down time in the NBA, from Shaq’s successor as Orlando’s jovial, dominant big man, to maligned former superstar. It’s fascinating to look back at eight years of our coverage of one of the NBA’s biggest names. 

Check out the covers below and click the headlines to read the accompanying story. 

“The Happy Dunker” by Chris Ballard

“Is This the Face of a Bad Guy?” by Lee Jenkins

“Houston’s New Tower of Power” by Lee Jenkins

“What Happened to Superman?” by Lee Jenkins

Be sure to check out Jenkins’s most recent profile of Howard, detailing his fall and how he hopes to bounce back.