A Champion in the Making
“Ball! Ball! Ball! Ball! Ball!” shouted the 6’11” beast in the low post.
“Ball! Ball! Ball!” he shouted again. The ball was thrown to him. The brute wrapped his massive, yet ambidextrous, hands around it and went to work. He pivoted once and the defender followed him. He threw his hands in the air, still gripping the ball, attempting an adroit shot fake. The defender didn’t fall for it; the giant was forced to use his strength. He turned back to face the basket, taking an enormous step. His veins were popping from all of his powerful muscles now. He put the ball down towards the floor, gripping it harder than ever now, and exploded up at the basket, reaching the ball high above his head and slamming it down and in for two! You’ve just experienced 15 seconds of Dwight Howard’s life.
Dwight Howard is the best defender in the NBA, and has been for two years. He won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, a contest held by the NBA during All-Star weekend, where the best dunkers in the NBA come to show off their dunking skills. He leads the league in blocked shots; offensive, defensive, and total rebounds; and field goal percentage. All these and more are reasons why this player is the best center in the NBA. It’s no wonder they call him “Superman”. Most people would question this great player’s excellence, bringing up the accusation that he has never won an MVP Award. But to Dwight, this doesn’t detract from his importance as a player. “I think most people look at Most Valuable Player as somebody who scores a lot of points, which is great. I believe that defense wins championships, wins games,” Howard said. “I’ve always thought about it like that, and I’ll continue to think about it like that.” It is clear that Howard is set firm as a boulder in his ways, but perhaps he is right. After all, wasn’t he the one to lead his team, the Orlando Magic, to the finals last year? Wasn’t his the team that defeated every team at least once this season? Yes, but it may not all be just because of his defense. Dwight Howard is also a great leader, and is willing to do anything for his team. “I just want to get out there and help my team win,” he remarked. “I can play one, two, three, four, five, or sixth man if I have to.” What he means by this is that he is willing to play any role for his team to win, and this type of team play can really take teams far in the NBA, which is evidenced by the Magic’s great playing last season and this season.
The Orlando Magic are set up very nicely to win the championship this year. They are undefeated in the Playoffs so far; no other team is this season. The Magic really want the championship. As Howard says, “We’re fighting for a championship…[We’re] playing for the finals right now, so my focus is getting my team a trophy.” The Magic liked the feeling of getting to the finals last year, and they want that feeling again. After the first round, Dwight Howard commented on the mood of the team, saying, “[Sweeping the Bobcats in the First Round] sent us off on a good note. Even the coaches are smiling lately. It’s good to see old, grumpy men smiling.” Also, adding a comical tone, Howard said, “The first round is over with…I don’t remember it.”
A basketball champion has something called “The Look”. Michael Jordan had it, Hakeem Olajuwon had it, and now, Dwight Howard has it. “The Look” is the feeling of being invincible, of being the best team in the league, of truly being Superman. It is the look of a champion, the look of forgotten pain, the pain of losing the 2009 Finals, and Dwight Howard has the look. He will not lose another finals, the Magic will not go down, they will be the champions. Howard has high hopes for his team this season, saying, “We've accomplished a lot this season and just to see the maturity of our team, from game to game, from the season to the playoffs is very good. Hopefully we can continue to get better and stay humble.” His hopes are surely not misplaced, as he knows he has another All-Star player to count on to help him get to the championship: Vince Carter. Howard praised Vince Carter with these words: “He knows when it's crunch time, he's going to get the ball and do what he needs for his team to win.” Also, Howard has another leader on his team he can count on: Jameer Nelson. “The little guy…led us… I've seen him do some crazy stuff during the regular season, but he's stepping it up a notch now. I can tell...He's been looking forward to this for quite a while, and you can see, he can't wait to get it going.” With all this help, plus his own superior talent, Dwight Howard must be the champion this year, but he can’t help being a bit nervous. “If we win or lose, it's going to be on me.” he said, clearly understanding the big role he has in the Magic’s success. It’s all him now, and he must win.
This champion had humble beginnings in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was the Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. And just like every child, he had several role models, “A big one was Kevin Garnett. I would go out and try to play like he did. Another one was Michael Jordan, and I always tried to dunk like Shaq.” Dwight Howard had goals to play like these All-Stars since he was in 8th Grade. He was always sure of himself, and confidence was the key to his success. His main objective in life was always to be the number one draft pick in the NBA, and he achieved that objective in 2004, going to the Magic as the first pick. His next goal was to win the dunk contest, which he accomplished in 2008, where he got his nickname “Superman”. However, Dwight Howard says that even he has a Kryptonite. “You know, I think it’s…myself, I think when I’m animated and ready to go I tend to have better games, and when I’m too focused, I don’t play as well. So, I think I’m my own Kryptonite.” This is something that all basketball players should know. Even the best of players can be discouraged by themselves. If they are too selfish and don’t sacrifice for their teams, they can be dismounted from their thrones. Dwight Howard has a firm understanding of this secret. “For us to win we have to play together,” Howard commented. “We have a lot of shooters…and we try to feed off that.” He has sacrificed his scoring this season to be more of a team player,. Although his points per game went down, his assists rose drastically. Not only does this show that Dwight Howard understands the secret, but also that he is a great leader. As a man from the National Junior Honor Society wrote, “Leadership is sacrifice – the willingness to yield one’s own personal interests for the interests of others.” Dwight Howard is clearly the best leader in the NBA today, and he proves it in game after game, piloting his team to victory, sacrificing his scoring for his team, and above all, being a champion.
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