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Dwight Howard Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame on First Ballot
Dwight Howard has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on a first-time ballot, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Friday night.
The 39-year-old last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season for the Los Angeles Lakers. During his 18-year career, Howard was an eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA member, three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner, a NBA champion with the Lakers in 2020 and an Olympic gold medalist with Team USA.
Howard joins Carmelo Anthony, who also was elected on a first ballot, for the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 thus far.
Dwight Howard has been elected as a first-ballot member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025, sources tell ESPN. Howard was an 8-time All-Star, 8-time All-NBA, 3-time Defensive Player of Year, a 2020 NBA champion, and won one Olympic gold medal with Team USA. pic.twitter.com/PMcyw6Izew
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 5, 2025
Howard was the No. 1 pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA draft, and he spent the first eight seasons of his career there. He was recently inducted to the Magic's Hall of Fame.
After Howard's tenure with the Magic, he jumped around to different teams across the league, from the Lakers to the Houston Rockets to the Philadelphia 76ers, to name a few. Howard finished his NBA career with the Lakers as he filled in for an injured Anthony Davis.
But, to start the 2022-23 season, Howard struggled to find an NBA team to sign him at 36 years old. He ended up joining Taiwan's T1 League for one season. He was named an All-Star and won other awards that season.
Howard's hinted at wanting to return to the NBA from time to time, especially after his Dancing With the Stars run last fall. But, it seems that his time playing in the NBA may be over now. He had a Hall of Fame worthy career.
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Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.