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It’s been a hectic week around the NBA. Since free agency began on July 1, there’s been a torrent of signings, trades, waivers and general finagling that culminated in one of the most confounding and entertaining (and infuriating, for some) debacles in the history of free agency, i.e. the DeAndre Jordan (In)Decision.
But it’s been a busy period for Dwight Howard as well, as he apparently spent the past week working on the intricately-designed, yet nonspecific, costume he wore to the San Diego Comic-Con Friday.
You’ll recall that early on his career, Howard co-opted the “Superman” nickname, much to the everlasting chagrin of Shaquille O’Neal. Now, Howard is apparently working with Marvel on some sort of short film chronicling the origin story of his personal connection to the Man of Steel. Here’s what Howard had to say about the upcoming film – which will apparently air on ESPN next week – in an interview with the folks manning the Marvel booth:
“It’s how Superman relates to me in my life.” Howard said. “Growing up, I watched Superman. I watched Batman. But when I got to the NBA, I started lifting weights. I got really strong, and one day I jumped over my teammates, and my teammates was like ‘yo, we’re gonna call you Superman from here on out.’ So that’s how I got the nickname Superman. I really was into how Superman became that icon for the world, by saving lives, by doing things that nobody else could do.”
It’s not terribly surprising that Howard is into cosplay (or that he sees a lot of similarities between himself and a superhero who saves the world for a living), but the connection to the costume he donned for the event – which looks like a combination of Darth Vader and the Predator – is still somewhat nebulous.
This rekindled focus on Superman also seems to contradict a recent report that Dwight wants to change his nickname to “Flash” now and even has a tricked-out, Flash-themed Dodge Charger to boot. To muddle things up even more, when asked what Marvel character he would be if he had a choice, he answered “Iron Man.” As long as we’re playing make-believe, I suppose Howard can be whoever he wants, even an NBA champion.
(via IG and Marvel Entertainment)
