Hall of Fame big man Dwight Howard did some terrific things in his basketball career. He was the unquestioned best big man in the league for a time with the Orlando Magic, was an 8-time All-Star, 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, and won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
For one season, Howard played for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020-21 season when he averaged 7.0 points and 8.4 rebounds off Philadelphia's bench. He was a terrific backup to Joel Embiid and gave the Sixers some real production for then-coach Doc Rivers to turn to when Embiid was unable to give it a go.
HoopsHype ranked the top 20 centers in the history of the NBA and Howard comes in ranked No. 15:
At one time, Dwight Howard was the best big man in the NBA, a run
that spanned multiple seasons with the Magic. Howard was an awe-inspiring athlete for his size, who would often sky for rebounds, block shots or finish alley-oops. Like Gasol, Howard was another glaring omission from the NBA75 list despite being a Top 10 rebounder ever, ranking 15th all-time in blocks and having three Defensive Player of the Year awards. But that might have to do with him not being that well-liked by coaches and teammates during his time in the league.
Howard was also a huge playoff performer, coming up big both when he was a star with the Magic (he impressively led them to the Finals in 2008-09) and as a role player with the Lakers, finally winning a title in 2019-20.
Overall, Howard averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in his career and made an impact in a number of ways during his career. He was one of the better big men to ever play the game and deserves the respect he has gotten thus far.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Former 76ers big man Dwight Howard ranked No. 15 center in NBA history
