The Magic Insider

Dwight Howard Reveals Choices to Walk Him Out at HOF Induction

Dwight Howard is heading into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The newest inductee into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame and franchise icon revealed the three players he wants to walk him out at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Springfield.
Orlando Magic franchise legends Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal, pictured here when O'Neal was with the Boston Celtics.
Orlando Magic franchise legends Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal, pictured here when O'Neal was with the Boston Celtics. | MediaNews Group, Boston Herald via Getty Images

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Dwight Howard is one of the headlining, first-ballot members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Also the newest member of the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame, Howard has a strong standing argument as the Magic's greatest player in franchise history.

When he's forever enshrined in Springfield this September, the Magic icon knows who he wants to walk him out.

Some of his choices may surprise you.

"I want KG (Kevin Garnett), Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) and Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) to walk me out," Howard wrote in a social media post early Saturday morning.

The quartet share similarities. Each, in their own right, could stake their claim as one time being the NBA's most dominant player. But given the past between the two, Howard naming O'Neal – whether seriously or not – is an interesting choice.

Howard's 'Superman' moniker irked O'Neal. When O'Neal would dunk during Magic home games, Superman's logo would flash on the screen. O'Neal has it tattooed on his arm, too.

But when Howard donned a Superman cape for his competition-winning jam during the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, many began referring to Howard by the same name.

The two, who stand as possibly the Magic's greatest players in franchise history, have engaged in numerous social media spats ever since.

Howard will join eight other inductees to be honored during this year's Enshrinement fsetivities on September 5-6.

2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class

  • 2008 U.S Olympic Men's Basketball Team
  • Carmelo Anthony
  • Danny Crawford
  • Billy Donovan
  • Dwight Howard
  • Sue Bird
  • Sylvia Fowles
  • Maya Moore
  • Micky Arison

Magic Players in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

  • Vince Carter
  • Grant Hill
  • Tracy McGrady
  • Patrick Ewing
  • Ben Wallace
  • Dominique Wilkins
  • Shaquille O'Neal

VIP packages and single-event tickets to the 2025 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend are now available at the Hall of Fame's website.

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