Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985, in
Atlanta, Georgia) is an American basketball player
for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball
Association (NBA). Howard, who usually plays center
but can also play power forward, had an outstanding
high school career. He chose to forgo college and
entered the 2004 NBA Draft. He was selected first
overall by the Magic, and has since emerged as one
of the top rebounders and players in the NBA and
been selected to the All-Star game twice. Howard's
overall play and his spectacular dunks have gained
him prominence as one of the brightest young
prospects in the NBA and the team leader of the
Magic. The winner of the NBA 2008 Slam Dunk Contest,
he is also a devout Christian who contributes
substantially to philanthropic causes.
Howard was born to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard and
into a family with strong athletic connections. His
father is a Georgia State trooper and serves as
Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian
Academy, a private academy with one of the best high
school basketball programs in the country, while his
mother played on the inaugural women's basketball
team at Morris Brown College. A devout Christian
since his youth, Howard resolved in eighth grade to
one day be selected as the number one pick in the
NBA Draft. Howard elected to attend Southwest
Atlanta Christian Academy for high school, and in
his four years he averaged 16.6 points per game
(ppg), 13.4 rebounds per game (rpg) and 6.3 blocks
per game in 129 appearances. Generally recognized as
the best American high school basketball player in
2004, Howard was awarded the Naismith Prep Player of
the Year Award, the Morgan Wootten High School
Player of the Year Award, the Gatorade National
Player of the Year Award, and the McDonald's
National High School Player of the Year honor.
Howard was also co-MVP (with J. R. Smith) of the
McDonald's High School All-America Game that year.
