Howard then asked for a trade, hoping to go somewhere where he could get a ring. They traded key pieces and lost a lot of their chemistry. The team had another run to the Eastern Conference Finals the following season, but ultimately fell behind. They played hard but lost to the Lakers in five games. They defeated every team in their path before reaching the finals, but that’s where their run ended. They finished the 2008-2009 season as one of the best teams and easily made it through the playoffs. When Howard first arrived, the Magic were still a dumpster team, but in five short years he propelled them from the bottom feeders to the top of the Eastern Conference. Players always have an incentive to win, but for Howard anything less than a championship would be a failure. But as his skills grew, so did his expectations. Howard played very well on the team in his early years and got better and better over time. The Magic put him first overall in the 2004 draft in hopes that he’d be the part they needed to turn their entire franchise inside out. That only grew when Howard decided to skip college and go straight to the NBA. While it wasn’t on the same level as Kobe or Lebron, the hype was pretty close. He came onto the show with some of the highest expectations ever placed on a player. The NBA is a league obsessed with legacy, and Dwight Howard is one of the prime examples of that.

A look at its various peaks and troughs alongside its own relationship with championships reveals what rings mean to players and why they are so important. This article explores the importance of winning in the NBA by breaking down Dwight Howard’s controversial career. Getting promoted to the league is an incredible achievement, but it’s just one step towards the ultimate goal of taking home a trophy.

Players Teams Leaders Stats 101 Tools Quick Links. Every NBA athlete plays for championships. Kyle Kuzma Official NBA Stats, Player Logs, Boxscores, Shotcharts and Videos.

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