After 18 seasons in the league, Dwight Howard’s NBA playing career could be coming to an end depending on his role on the team.
On a look at All smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Howard admitted that he wants to keep playing, but that he’s thinking about retiring at some point.
“I want to play, but there are no teams that will allow me to play at the same time. That’s how I feel about my past situation with the Lakers. I felt like I did enough to help them win a championship and give me a spot on the team and a chance to start and get big minutes, and that didn’t happen.
After that I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want to bust my ass for another whole winter, train three days a day, on a crazy diet, do all this and then go to the team and sit on the bench or you can’t help someone win.’ …and I was like, ‘Damn, do I want to call it quits and do something else or do I want to go back to it and show people that I’ve still got it.'”
Howard’s resume speaks for itself, from an eight-time NBA All-Star to a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. However, he hasn’t averaged more than 20 minutes a contest since starting the 2018-19 campaign with Washington, appearing in nine games.
In the year Howard is currently an unsigned, unrestricted free agent after winning a title with the Lakers in 2020 as a backup center. In the twilight of his career, the eight-time All-NBA player is looking for one last, real chance.
