During the prime of his career, it seemed Dwight Howard was always laughing, flashing a big smile or otherwise taking a light-hearted approach to life as a NBA center.
Though Howard hasn’t abandoned his fun-loving instincts, he now takes mentorship seriously. The 35-year-old wants to draw upon his successes and missteps to guide his younger teammates, especially Joel Embiid.
This season, though, is unfamiliar. Before joining the Sixers, Howard had never played a game with only six healthy teammates.
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“Dwight Howard is going to have to play point guard, and we’ll see how that goes,” head coach Doc Rivers joked before the Sixers’ shorthanded Jan. 7 loss to the Nuggets.
COVID-19 has affected practically every aspect of NBA players’ day-to-day routine, from testing procedures to who’s available for the games themselves.
“It’s been crazy, man,” Howard said on Jan. 12. “It’s something like none of us have ever experienced. A lot of times, it’s frustrating — having to get up and go get tested; having to wait at least an hour before you can come into the gym every morning; getting tested after the games; getting tested as soon as you land off the plane. Then if you lose a couple games or something, you might be a little frustrated — just like it’s added to it.
"We have to find a way to stay balanced, find a way to stay at peace and not allow stuff like that to affect our team as a whole. … We’ve got a lot of young guys. This is new. I look at a young guy like (Tyrese) Maxey. He doesn’t know what the real NBA is like; he knows COVID NBA. I know it’s a little tough for those guys but we just try to keep them upbeat, keep the vibe nice and good. We’ll be OK.”
NBA
Howard’s teammates respect his continued dedication to physical conditioning, but he also recognizes that’s not the only area where strength matters.
“With all the pressures that it takes to be an NBA player, the mental side of it is something that you have to be very strong at,” Howard told NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ashley Hall as part of NBC Sports’ HeadStrong initiative. “There’s a lot of things that are thrown at us on a daily basis, and it takes somebody with strong will to want to survive and make it to the top. So I would say mental health is very important.”
Since being traded from the Magic in 2012, little of Howard’s career has gone according to plan. After all the bumpiness, apparent tension with teammates and bouncing from team to team, though, Howard appreciates the journey that led him to his first NBA title last season with the Lakers.
“You’re trying to win a championship, you have to know that there’s going to be billions of things that are going to be thrown your way, and it takes a strong mind and it takes a strong support group to actually ward off those things that could hinder you from winning a championship — even in life, just winning in life,” he said.