Career Timeline of Dwight Howard: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Dwight Howard made an impact.

Dwight Howard, nicknamed "Superman," is a former American professional basketball player. He achieved significant recognition in the NBA, including being an NBA champion, an eight-time All-Star, and eight-time All-NBA Team selection. Furthermore, he was a five-time All-Defensive Team member and secured the Defensive Player of the Year award three times, solidifying his reputation as a dominant force in the league.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2004: Established Dwight D. Howard Foundation Inc.

In 2004, Dwight Howard established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation Inc. with his parents.

2004: High School Successes

In 2004, Dwight Howard led his team to a 31-2 record and the state title, while averaging 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game. He was recognized as the best American high school basketball player, receiving the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald's National High School Player of the Year honor. He was also co-MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game.

2004: Selected First Overall by Orlando Magic in 2004 NBA Draft

In 2004, Dwight Howard was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic in the NBA draft. He took the number 12 for his jersey, in part because it was the reverse of Kevin Garnett's 21 when he played for Minnesota.

2004: NBA Draft and Orlando Magic Selection

In 2004, Dwight Howard was selected first overall in the NBA draft by the Orlando Magic after forgoing college.

November 15, 2005: Youngest Player with 20+ Points and 20+ Rebounds

On November 15, 2005, Dwight Howard recorded 21 points and 20 rebounds against the Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the youngest player ever to reach those numbers in the same game.

2005: Impactful Rookie Season

In 2005, Dwight Howard finished his rookie season with an average of 12 points and 10 rebounds, setting several NBA records. He was selected to play in the NBA Rookie Challenge and was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team.

2005: Dunks streak starts

In 2005-2006 season, Dwight Howard started his dunks streak.

March 5, 2006: Howard Named to USA Basketball Team

On March 5, 2006, Dwight Howard was named to the 2006–2008 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program.

April 2, 2006: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Appearance

On April 2, 2006, Dwight Howard appeared as a special guest on an episode of the ABC series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

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2006: Selected to the Sophomore Team in the Rookie Challenge

In 2006, Dwight Howard was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the Rookie Challenge during the All-Star break. He averaged 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game for the season.

2006: Third Consecutive Season

In the 2006-07 season, Dwight Howard played in all 82 regular-season games for the third consecutive season.

February 1, 2007: First NBA All-Star Selection

On February 1, 2007, Dwight Howard received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.

December 2007: Howard Declared Most Dominant Center

In December 2007, ESPN writer David Thorpe declared Dwight Howard the most dominant center in the NBA.

2007: Slam Dunk Contest

In 2007, Dwight Howard completed an alley oop dunk from Jameer Nelson, while slapping a sticker onto the backboard at 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) high during the Slam Dunk Contest.

2007: Improved Numbers

In the 2007–08 season, Dwight Howard continued posting impressive numbers and helped the Magic have their best season to date.

February 16, 2008: NBA Slam Dunk Contest Win

On February 16, 2008, Dwight Howard won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, performing innovative dunks, including donning a Superman cape.

June 23, 2008: Named to Olympic Team

On June 23, 2008, Dwight Howard was named to the 12-man squad representing the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

2008: Dunks streak

In 2007-2008, Dwight Howard had a high of 269 dunks.

2008: Leading league in blocks

In the 2008-09 season, Howard began by leading the league in blocks per game.

November 2009: Jefferson Awards Finalist

In November 2009, Dwight Howard was named one of the 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service.

2009: NBA Playoffs

After a game in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala praised Dwight Howard's defensive abilities.

2009: Led Magic to NBA Finals and Won Defensive Player of the Year Award

In 2009, Dwight Howard led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming the youngest player ever to win the award.

2009: Led Orlando Magic to NBA Finals

In 2009, Dwight Howard led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals.

2009: Magic Strong Start

In the 2009–10 season, the Magic got off to a strong start, winning 17 of their first 21 games and setting a franchise record.

January 21, 2010: All-Star starter

On January 21, 2010, Howard was named as the starting center for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.

2010: Defensive Player of the Year

In the 2010-11 season, Howard posted career highs in points and field goal percentage. He became the first player in league history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors for three consecutive seasons.

2011: Leading league in double-doubles

In 2011, Howard led the league in double-doubles and also averaged 14.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and a career-high 1.3 steals.

2011: Trade Demand

In 2011, after the lockout ended, Dwight Howard demanded a trade to the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, or Dallas Mavericks, stating that he felt the Magic organization was not doing enough to build a championship contender.

2011: Howard Asked To Be Traded

On March 15, 2012, on the day of the trading deadline for the 2011–12 NBA season, it was revealed that Howard had previously asked to be traded to the New Jersey Nets.

January 12, 2012: NBA Record 39 Free Throw Attempts

On January 12, 2012, Dwight Howard attempted an NBA regular season record 39 free throws against the Golden State Warriors, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record of 34 set in 1962. He made 21 of the attempts, finishing with 45 points and 23 rebounds.

January 24, 2012: Magic's All-Time Scoring Leader

On January 24, 2012, Dwight Howard became the Orlando Magic's all-time scoring leader.

March 15, 2012: Waived Opt-Out Right

On March 15, 2012, Dwight Howard waived his right to opt out of his contract at the end of the season and committed to stay with the Magic through the 2012–13 season.

April 19, 2012: Howard to Undergo Back Surgery

On April 19, 2012, Dwight Howard's agent announced that Howard would undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2011–12 season and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

August 10, 2012: Howard Traded to the Los Angeles Lakers

On August 10, 2012, Dwight Howard was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a deal involving the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets.

2012: Signed Five-Year Extension

Following his breakout campaign, in 2007, Howard signed a five-year, $80 million extension that would keep him in Orlando through the 2012–13 season.

2012: Traded to the Los Angeles Lakers

In 2012, Dwight Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers after playing eight seasons with the Orlando Magic.

January 4, 2013: Howard Injures Right Shoulder

On January 4, 2013, Dwight Howard injured his right shoulder during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. At the midpoint of the season, the Lakers had a disappointing record of 17–24.

July 13, 2013: Howard Signs with the Houston Rockets

On July 13, 2013, Dwight Howard signed a four-year, $88 million contract with the Houston Rockets, joining James Harden to form a duo.

November 4, 2015: Howard's Performance Against Orlando Magic

On November 4, 2015, Dwight Howard scored 23 points and had 14 rebounds against the Orlando Magic, shooting 10-of-10 and becoming the first Rocket to make 10 or more field goals without a miss since Yao Ming in 2009.

January 18, 2016: Howard Ties Career High in Rebounds

On January 18, 2016, Dwight Howard had 36 points and tied a career high with 26 rebounds in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. This marked his 10th straight double-double, the league's longest active streak at the time.

June 22, 2016: Howard Declines Player Option

On June 22, 2016, Dwight Howard declined his $23 million player option for the 2016–17 season, becoming an unrestricted free agent.

July 12, 2016: Howard Signs with Atlanta Hawks

On July 12, 2016, Dwight Howard signed a three-year, $70 million contract with his hometown team, the Atlanta Hawks.

June 20, 2017: Howard Traded to Charlotte Hornets

On June 20, 2017, the Hawks traded Dwight Howard, along with the 31st overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Marco Belinelli, Miles Plumlee and the 41st overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

July 6, 2018: Howard Traded to Brooklyn Nets

On July 6, 2018, Dwight Howard was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Timofey Mozgov, the draft rights to Hamidou Diallo, a 2021 second-round draft pick, and cash considerations, but was waived immediately after being acquired.

July 12, 2018: Howard Signs with Washington Wizards

On July 12, 2018, Dwight Howard signed a two-year, $10.9 million contract with the Washington Wizards.

April 18, 2019: Howard exercises player option with Wizards

On April 18, 2019, Dwight Howard exercised his $5.6 million player option to play a second season with the Wizards.

July 6, 2019: Howard Traded to Memphis Grizzlies

On July 6, 2019, Dwight Howard was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for forward C. J. Miles.

August 24, 2019: Howard Waived by Grizzlies

On August 24, 2019, Dwight Howard was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies.

August 26, 2019: Howard Re-Signs with Los Angeles Lakers

On August 26, 2019, Dwight Howard signed a $2.6 million veteran's minimum contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, reuniting him with his former team, replacing DeMarcus Cousins.

January 13, 2020: Howard Scores Season-High Points

On January 13, 2020, Dwight Howard scored a season-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and got a season-high 15 rebounds for the Lakers.

November 21, 2020: Howard Signs with Philadelphia 76ers

On November 21, 2020, Dwight Howard signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers worth $2,564,753.

2020: NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers

In 2020, Dwight Howard won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers during one of his stints with the team.

August 6, 2021: Howard Signs with Los Angeles Lakers

On August 6, 2021, Dwight Howard signed a veteran's minimum contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for $2.6 million.

2021: Signs with Taoyuan Leopards

After the 2021-22 NBA season, Dwight Howard moved overseas and signed with the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League.

November 7, 2022: Howard Signs with Taoyuan Leopards

On November 7, 2022, Dwight Howard, unable to secure a spot in the NBA, signed with the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League in Taiwan.

2022: Charitable Auction

On his 37th birthday in 2022, Dwight Howard raised over NT$3 million (US$97,969) with a charitable auction benefiting CountryEDU Charity Foundation and the Good Shepherd Social Welfare foundation.