NBA legend Dwight Howard has a suggestion for President Donald Trump.
In a lengthy X/Twitter post Sunday night, Howard proposed a “random” idea that would spark outrage across America if implemented.
“I honestly feel like the president should make one year of service mandatory for everyone born in America,” Howard wrote on X/Twitter. “A lot of other countries do it. And I think it would help with discipline and structure. I’m curious what yall think would this help America or nah(?)”
Howard has never served in the military. His entire adult life has almost exclusively been in basketball, where he entered the NBA directly from high school as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
The closest he’s ever come to the military was in 2023, when Howard was a contestant on the Fox reality series “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” The show put celebrities through difficult training exercises led by former Special Forces operatives.
At the time, he told PEOPLE, “it was the greatest experience of my life.”
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year and is one of the most accomplished centers of his era. Among his accomplishments are, three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards (2009–2011), eight All-Star nods, eigh All-NBA selections and a five-time All-Defensive Team honoree.
Howard led the NBA in rebounding five times and blocks twice, and his peak came with the Orlando Magic, whom he carried to the 2009 NBA Finals while earning Finals MVP.
Later in his career, helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the 2020 NBA championship off the bench.
He has 14,627 rebounds and 2,228 rebounds in his career, placing him among the league’s all-time leaders.