When you think about Dwight Howard’s impressive NBA career, you think his domination with the Orlando Magic, his odd fit in Houston and his downright bizarre season in Los Angeles. What don’t you think of exactly? Last year with the Hawks.
Yes, the 32-year-old played a single season with his hometown Hawks in 2015-16. He averaged 13 points and 12 boards. It was mostly unspectacular and ended with his teammates celebrating (allegedly) his trade to the Hornets.
So, color us shocked when Howard returned to ATL last night and was greeted with a touching, special video showcasing how much he meant to the team and the community.
https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/958866355545133057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2018%2F02%2Fatlanta-hawks-dwight-howard-video-tribute
The NBA is confusing as heck. This is a league where Isaiah Thomas, who played multiple MVP-caliber seasons with the Celtics, won’t get a tribute video in his return to Boston because Paul Pierce is one petty dude. How on earth does Dwight get one, despite doing practically nothing special during his time with the Hawks?
Well, being a hometown boy had something to do with it. But these tribute videos are getting out of hand. Let’s get rid of them – across all sports. It’s just a petty indicator at this point of whether a team like a player or not. Apparently, the Hawks liked Dwight – cool. But a tribute? Common. What’s next? Orlando doing a tribute to Jeff Green?
