Dwight Howard, a larger-than-life figure on and off the court, is making headlines in more ways than one. The 6-ft-10 center who first showed his dancing skills to the public during a pre-match session for Orlando Magic has been making waves on the dancefloor with his pro dance partner Daniella Karagach and has accumulated a total of 177 points. Interestingly, this stint with Dancing with the Stars, Howard believes, may as well boost his unfulfilled dream, one he subtly nudged Jeanie Buss for as well.

On a recent podcast episode with Shannon Sharpe, Howard once again expressed his determination to return to the NBA. “New York need a center too and I know one,” he began as the host brought up the current condition of the Knicks.

Clearly, there’s nothing left for Howard to prove, who won an NBA title with the Lakers in 2020, earned three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and numerous All-Star appearances. Yet, the 37-year-old wishes to continue, for, prior to joining the NBA, Howard had a number in mind and it hasn’t been met yet.

“20 would be amazing,” Howard states when asked about how many more seasons he would like to continue. “That’s how long I want to play. That was my dream when I first started. My goal was to play 20 years.” Considering he played for 18 years by 2022, his original plan leaves him with 2 more years and Howard believes he has good years left in him to fulfil that. In the same hopes, he has quite frequently expressed his intentions to join a team.

“I was just in New York & I kept hearing the Knicks need a backup,” he had penned after the New York Knicks signed Karl Antony Towns. And when the Minnesota Timberwolves signed Rudy Gobert for $110 million, the former Lakers star offered “Minnesota, y’all could have gave me 10 mil.” That wasn’t all though. As Buss made it to his podcast last month, their conversations brought up his years in the NBA, the Lakers, and their previous intentions to sign him back on.

“I’m [still] in shape for basketball, so Jeanie give me one more chance,” Howard had sung in hopes of persuading the franchise owner. Now with his stint at the DWTS, Howard believes he is an advantage.

“Longevity is something that people don’t even really talk about… it takes a lot takes a lot of discipline, sacrifice to play. I think from doing DWTS, it really boosted that for me, coz I am in great shape and I feel real good,” he admitted on the Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. “so if a team need a big, Count Me In.” 

The former Lakers star has indeed grown with the intense choreography and routines that DWTS demands, involving the many lifts and spins.

In their last appearance, which was the Halloween special 6th episode, Howard and Karagach went for a dark-themed dance based on the song Ring Around The Rosie by District 78. The judges were impressed enough for Howard to earn the season’s first 10 to make a total of 28 points. Also, during the dance-off, he was able to outdo the performances of Ilona Maher, the American rugby union player. Howard had been waiting for the opportunity to get on the show and he is indeed making the most of it.

Dwight Howard believes joining DWTS was one of the best decisions

In a surprising twist, NBA veteran Dwight Howard opened up about his rewarding experience on Dancing with the Stars. Known for his agility and strength on the court, Howard joined DWTS to take on a different kind of challenge, trading slam dunks for dance routines.

In the same podcast, he shared how he got a chance in the show after an intense 3-year chase, and he’s been nothing but enthusiastic since. “Well I’ve been trying to do it for three years. This year I had an opportunity to actually. I didn’t have basketball going on and I had an opportunity. I hit up Deena Katz, who’s the talent coordinator for the show. I hit her up, she said she’s gonna try to do her best to get me on the season and I’m glad she did, man. It’s the best decision I made to come on the show,” said Howard during the podcast.

Not only this but Howard revealed how the experience helped improve his agility and has given a new perspective to life, “It’s really helped me with so many things and not just my weight, not just being in shape, my mental you know, having a partner in the dance floor is similar to ‘how you got to have a partner in real life,’ ‘how you gotta move through life’. So it’s really helping me in a lot of areas,” added Howard.

DWTS wasn’t just a break from the court; it was a way to grow. If Howard was able to chase the dream of being on the show, maybe NBA can stand a chance too.