Dwight Howard, a dynamic center who earned a plethora of NBA accolades under the moniker of “Superman,” has decided to hang up his cape.
Howard announced Thursday afternoon on social media that he is officially retiring after playing 18 years in the league. He was an eight-time NBA All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA selection (five of the eight being First Team) and a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, spending eight seasons with the Orlando Magic (2004-12), three with the Houston Rockets (2013-16) and three with the Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13, 2019-20 and 2021-22).
Howard won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. Howard also played for the Atlanta Hawks (2016-17), Charlotte Hornets (2017-18), Washington Wizards (2018-19) and Philadelphia 76ers (2020-21). The 40-year-old Howard has not played in the NBA since 2022 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025.
Howard posted a message on his X account announcing that he’d make the decision public “on the 12th of this month” to “move on from Superman.” He thanked his fans, as well as his critics, as he officially leaves behind an NBA career that includes 19,485 points, 14,627 rebounds and 2,228 blocks. He averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 boards and 1.8 blocks per game in the league.
Howard spent the 2022-23 season with the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League in Taiwan, where he was named an All-Star, earned All-Star Game MVP honors and was later named the T1 All-Defensive First Team. Last summer, Howard played for the LA Riot in Ice Cube’s Big3, averaging 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds. That was his final season of professional basketball, though Howard has publicly toyed with the concept of returning to the court in the years since.
Dwight Howard, shown here in 2010, averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 boards and 1.8 blocks per game for his 18-year NBA career.
Even as injuries slowed him later in his career, Howard still made an impact with his rebounding and defensive skills. His defense on Nikola Jokić during the Lakers’ 2020 championship run was key in them advancing to the NBA Finals.
Declaring for the 2004 NBA Draft out of high school, Howard, who attended Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, was selected first overall by the Magic. He was one of the more gifted athletes at the position of his generation, finishing his NBA career as a five-time league rebounding leader and a two-time blocks leader. He also won fans over in 2008 when he won the slam dunk contest during NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.
“Now I’m taking off the cape and retiring from all basketball to pour into my family and give back to communities worldwide,” Howard said on X.