By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Dwight Howard has officially retired from basketball, bringing an end to a professional career that spanned two decades and included an NBA championship and multiple All-Star appearances.
The former center made the announcement in a lengthy post on social media, confirming that he is stepping away from the game after last playing in the NBA during the 2021–22 season.
Howard began his career as the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, selected by the Orlando Magic. He later played for several teams across the league, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers.
He won an NBA championship with the Lakers during his second stint with the franchise in 2020.
While his NBA career effectively ended in 2022, Howard briefly continued playing professionally in Taiwan before ultimately deciding to retire from the sport entirely.
In his Instagram post, Howard reflected on his journey and explained the reasoning behind his decision.
“Woke up today on the 12th of this month and I figured it’s time to move on from Superman! Im no super human… I cry ! I struggle! I feel like everyone else. Through the lies, the media and the hate I still show love and Smile Through The Storm.
But now Im taking off the cape and retiring from all basketball to pour into my family and give back to communities worldwide. I know some of you might think I thought he already “retired” but I didn’t… the game retired me! I still had more left to give ! Yeah I did play professionally for 20 years and Im grateful to be able to say that but I can’t lie seeing these other players still going at it at age 40 inspired me to want to keep trying but now I believe my duty will be to pass it down to the next generation.
So Thank you to all my fans and supporters throughout this journey I love and appreciate yall dearly because without yall it would be no me!
Also thank you to the Naysayers, the haters, the snakes, and people that came into my life to try to destroy me. Because everytime yall did …it only made me stronger. When my documentary releases this year the world will know the truth about EVERYTHING! Then you will see how the sheltered little boy from college park Georgia who went to the same school from pre-k to 12th grade then straight to the NBA was taken advantage of by the world. But through it all still managed to keep SMILING.
& Since I didn’t get a chance to ever have a farewell tour I decided to create a tour not for fans to appreciate me but for me to appreciate them for supporting me all these years and giving me a reason to smile doing what I love.
Every 12th of the month from now on will be D12 day where I visit cities all over the world and do acts of kindness for random to people to give them a reason to Smile”.
Howard also revealed plans to launch a personal initiative called “D12 Day,” which will see him travel to different cities around the world each month to perform acts of kindness and give back to communities.
The former Defensive Player of the Year leaves the game as one of the most dominant centers of his era and one of the most accomplished big men of the 2000s and early 2010s.