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USA Today via Reuters
Oct 11, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) smiles while holding the Finals trophy after game six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers won 106-93 to win the series. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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USA Today via Reuters
Oct 11, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) smiles while holding the Finals trophy after game six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers won 106-93 to win the series. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been over two years since one of the biggest snubs in recent NBA history. Dwight Howard was left out of the NBA 75th Anniversary team. The conversation around D12’s exclusion from that list is still ongoing. Recently, an NBA veteran tried to break down the reason behind Howard not being on the team.
Rashad McCants said that the reason why Howard was left behind was that a lot of “disgruntled” old players had an issue with him. This is not the first time that an NBA veteran has talked about this. However, McCants pulled no punches while trying to give an understanding of the situation.
Dwight Howard’s major snub
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Howard had a glorious 18-year-long career in the NBA. He was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2004 and till 2022 he represented several other teams. He is an 8x NBA All-Star, 5x All-NBA First Team, and the 2020 NBA champion. However, when the list was announced in 2021, Superman was left out which led to a lot of backlash from fans and NBA veterans alike. Recently, McCants discussed what might have led to his exclusion from the 75th Anniversary team. The NBA veteran stated that Howard is, without a doubt, one of the greatest players of all time.
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USA Today via Reuters
NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Lakers, Jan 5, 2020 Los Angeles, California, USA Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James 23 talks with center Dwight Howard 39 after a pass resulted in a basket and foul in the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports, 05.01.2020 19:48:21, 13878208, NPStrans, Staples Center, Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Detroit Pistons, NBA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJaynexKamin-Onceax 13878208
As per McCants, Howard’s exclusion is nothing but a robbery of his basketball legacy. He said, “When you look at how he played and what his character was. It was going against the grain of where all the characters had came from.”
McCants added that “The players that were disgruntled outside were the older players”. The 39-year-old thinks that Howard’s image, especially in the eyes of some of the other more respected legends led to him being kept out of one of the biggest honors.
McCants is not the only one who thinks that Howard should’ve been on the list.
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Read More: Lakers Coach Frank Vogel Vouches for Dwight Howard and Klay Thompson Following NBA 75 Snub
Dwyane Wade’s comment on the Dwight Howard snub
During his conversation with Shannon Sharpe, NBA legend Dwyane Wade had similar things to say. Wade said, “1,000% [deserving of a spot in the 75th NBA Anniversary team]. … I really don’t understand. I know a lot of people have a lot of things to say about Dwight Howard’s personality but when it come to that man’s actual work, his body of work, it’s undeniable.”
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Howard is arguably one of the greatest players of all time, especially for the Magic franchise. Hoop fans still remember the 2009 NBA championship run where he took the Magic to the finals, against all odds.
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