Dwight Howard’s blockbuster trade from the Orlando Magic began a rebuilding process for his former team that it’s still in the process of undergoing. Given the eight-time All-Star’s laughable remarks to Orlando front office personnel before his departure, though, three subsequent seasons of losing and a recent coaching change are surely a bit more palatable than they appear on the surface.
In a story by George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel, former Magic CEO Bob Vander Weide recalls a conversation with Howard during which the big man compared himself to not just a pair of living athletic legends, but one of the most influential politicians, social activists, and philanthropists the world has ever seen.
“When he told me he was an icon, guess what three names he used [to compare himself to]?” Vander Weide said. “Michael Jordan. Muhammad Ali. Nelson Mandela.”
Let’s pause for a sec while we all do a faceplant.
“Are you kidding me?'” Vander Weide said. “We’ve been to the Finals once and you’re a great athlete, and you’re an icon like these three? I knew it was over. I knew there was no chance of keeping him.”
It’s certainly strange that Vander Weide elected to share this utterly ridiculous tidbit several years after it allegedly took place. That he’s had no affiliation with Orlando since resigning from the team in July 2014 only makes the timing here more confusing.
Nevertheless, it’s Howard who deserves far more scrutiny.
A professional basketball player comparing himself to Michael Jordan is one thing. Not only is the six-time champion a peer of Howard’s, but his off-court impact doesn’t extend much further than driving global interest to the sport and creating a culture of sneaker-heads. Plus, there was a time when it seemed the much-maligned Houston Rockets center would emerge as one of the several best centers ever – he won three-consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and was named All-NBA First Team for a stretch of five seasons spanning from 2008 to 2012.
Invoking the hallowed name of Muhammad Ali is less defensible, but still makes a sliver of sense. Howard was near the top of the sport when he left the Magic; the early 2010s would have been the ideal time for the Atlanta native to make good on his pre-draft goal of “[raising] the name of God within the league and throughout the world.” The former Cassius Clay, obviously, made spreading the word of Islam a hallmark of his decades under the international spotlight.
But Nelson Mandela? We won’t even dignify Howard’s obtuse and utterly disrespectful claim with a response that disproves it. The former South African President, obviously, is in another stratosphere of significance compared to any professional athlete.
Here’s hoping Howard avoids giving an explanation for his past remarks when inevitably asked to do so by reporters. His foot is still far enough down his throat as is.
(Via Orlando Sentinel) (h/t CBS Sports)
