An emotional Dwight Howard was honored to be Inducted into Orlando Magic Hall of Fame last night, Monday, March 24.
As Dwight Howard’s eyes glanced around a Kia Center that his on-court dominance with the Orlando Magic helped create, he reflected back on some of his favorite memories with the franchise.
There was the buzzer-beating alley-oop slam against the San Antonio Spurs, the team’s incredible victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, and the franchise’s first NBA Finals win – a Game 3 home triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Howard was honored for his role in those memorable moments along with his immense impact on Orlando’s franchise overall on Monday as he was inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
“I just want to say thank you again to the Magic, and to all the fans for literally everything,” said Howard after the ceremony. “I really grew up here … This feeling that I get every time I come back. To now be a part of the Magic Hall of Fame, it’s unbelievable.”
During his tenure with the team, the 6-foot-11 center possessed a personality even larger than his massive frame. And that charisma once again was on full display during his induction ceremony.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft spoke from the heart and became emotional on several occasions as he reflected on his time in the City Beautiful, the fans, his former teammates and coaches, his family, and Magic ownership.
“To the DeVos family – Rich and Helen, I know you guys aren’t here in the flesh, but in spirit you’re with me every day,” Howard said with tears in his eyes. “Thank you for taking a chance on a scrawny 18-year-old kid from southwest Atlanta via Swainsboro, Georgia. (And) thank you to the rest of the DeVos family that’s here today for welcoming me … and for letting me play for this beautiful franchise.”
Howard played eight seasons with the Magic from 2004-12. He appeared in 621 regular season games – 620 starts – with Orlando, averaging 18.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.0 steals in 36.2 minutes per game, while shooting 57.7 percent from the floor.
During his stint with the Magic, Howard was named to the All-NBA First Team in five consecutive seasons from 2007-12 – the most of any player in Orlando history. In 2009-10, he became the first player in franchise history to be named to the All-NBA First Team unanimously. He became the first player in NBA history to win the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award in three straight seasons from 2008-11. He earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors four consecutive times (2008-12) and was All-Defensive Second Team once (2007-08).
As a result of those incredible achievements, D12 was named an NBA All-Star six consecutive times from 2007-12, leading all vote-getters in both 2009 and 2012. He was NBA Player of the Month six times and NBA Player of the Week 18 times – both of which are the most in franchise history.
Howard stands as the Orlando Magic’s all-time leader in points scored (11,435), rebounds (8,072), blocked shots (1,344), free throws made (3,366), free throws attempted (5,727) and minutes played (22,471). He also ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in games played (third, 621), field goals made (third, 4,034), steals (fourth, 626) and field goals attempted (fourth, 6,988).
“He clearly is one of the greatest players in Magic history,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins. “He holds the majority of records, even to this day, after being gone for a while. Clearly, a great, great player, who is incredibly deserving – as much as anybody – of being in the Magic Hall of Fame.”
Just as dominant as he was on the court, Howard was equally impactful off it. He was the recipient of the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award a team-record six times (2004-05, 2007-12), which is given to the player who dedicates his efforts beyond the basketball court to enhance the lives of others.
“He holds a team record for six times winning the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award, which for us is the annual recognition of the player who does the most amongst many players that do a lot in our community,” said Martins. “So, off the court, (he) clearly had an incredible impact.”
Howard, who is a 2025 Finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, is still synonymous with Orlando in many ways. When young players in the league are asked to share their memories growing up of the Magic, they often instantly cite Howard and one of his numerous accomplishments.
That sentiment holds true for current Magic superstar forward Paolo Banchero, who shared his thoughts on Howard being inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.
“Honestly, he’s the only reason I knew the Orlando Magic growing up – for real,” said Banchero. “Really don’t remember watching the Magic at any point, besides when Dwight was there. I would just say that he made me familiar with the Orlando Magic with all he did in his time here. It’s dope to see him get honored because I think he deserves it.”
Howard joins Pat Williams (2014), Nick Anderson (2014), Shaquille O’Neal (2015), Rich DeVos (2016), Anfernee Hardaway (2017), Jimmy Hewitt (2017), Tracy McGrady (2018), David Steele (2019), Darrell Armstrong (2020), John Gabriel (2022), Brian Hill (2022) and Dennis Scott (2023) in the Magic Hall of Fame.
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