Dwight Howard wants one last ride in the NBA. After the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a pair of devastating injuries to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the eight-time All-Star offered to come out of retirement to rejoin his former team.
Howard’s offer comes during a difficult time for the Lakers, who are attempting to navigate the final week of the regular season with a heavily depleted roster.
NBA World Mocks Dwight Howard’s Offer Amid Lakers’ Injury Crisis
After losing Dončić to a Grade 2 hamstring strain and Reaves to a Grade 2 oblique injury, Howard took to social media, offering to come out of retirement and help an undermanned Los Angeles roster as the postseason looms.
“Lmk if I need to come out retirement,” he wrote.
Lmk if I need to come out retirement 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/OrLVsY4QTe
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) April 4, 2026
Unfortunately for Howard, the NBA world wasted zero time clowning the idea. Social media timelines quickly filled with reminders of how his last few professional stops actually played out.
“Everything is rage bait at this point,” influencer ‘BronGotIt’ remarked.
“new celtics shaq just dropped,” another influencer SonicsShowYo added, implying Howard is washed.
new celtics shaq just dropped https://t.co/mJ3attUP73
— SonicsShowYo (@SonicsShowY0) April 4, 2026
Some analysts, including Fox Sports’ Rachel Nichols, laughed at Howard using an awkward Photoshop of him in a Lakers jersey rather than a real picture from his previous stint.
“I love that Dwight superimposed a Lakers jersey on a pic of himself here, like he doesn’t have thousands of the real thing. 😂,” Nichols wrote.
“u played for us, why u need a bad photoshop 💀,” @lakerslead echoed.
u played for us, why u need a bad photoshop 💀 pic.twitter.com/71T82OpOCh
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) April 5, 2026
“I hate when Dwight uses this photoshopped picture. You played for the Lakers multiple times bro. You can get a real picture of you in a Lakers jersey,” LakersSpin posted.
“NEW: Dwight Howard is now asking if he should come out of retirement to help the Lakers after their injuries. LA now has a 1% chance to win the West on Kalshi,” KalshiSports posted.
NEW: Dwight Howard is now asking if he should come out of retirement to help the Lakers after their injuries.
LA now has a 1% chance to win the West on Kalshi. pic.twitter.com/o8muNeJA2w
— Kalshi Sports (@KalshiSports) April 5, 2026
Howard last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season with the Lakers. He averaged 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks across 60 games during his final campaign. Howard, a 2020 NBA champion, shot 61.2% from the field while averaging 16.2 minutes per game.
His most recent professional stint came with the Taoyuan Leopards of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) during the 2022-23 season.
READ MORE: LeBron James, Rich Paul Just Dropped a Major Hint About the Lakers Star’s NBA Future
Across 18 NBA seasons, Howard posted career averages of 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He officially announced his retirement from professional basketball in 2026, a year after being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Lakers head coach JJ Redick remained optimistic about the team entering the postseason, stating, “Our mission, it hasn’t changed. The rest of these guys and my staff, we’re going after the 3-seed, and we’re going to try to win a playoff series…”
Los Angeles holds a 50-27 record and will close out the regular season with five games remaining, starting with the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.