“That's better than me dunking the ball a million times” — Dwight Howard on what he loves about being a father
Dwight Howard
© Darren Yamashita - USA TODAY Sports
Regardless of how we slice it, Dwight Howard will go down in history as one of the most dominant big men ever to play the game. And even though he’s no longer in the NBA, “D12” is proving that he’s still a top-grade player in Taiwan. But above all, Howard is also a loving father.
A loving dad
In his 18-year NBA career, Howard earned eight All-Star appearances, won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times, and was the rebounding champ five times. And during his prime, Howard was ultimately a force inside the paint. Needless to say, “D12” was having the time of his life in the NBA at one point.
However, Dwight shared that everything he accomplished during his heyday pales in comparison to the elation he feels whenever his kids say, “I love you daddy.”
“Every part is the best part,” Howard told “In Depth with Graham Bensinger in 2019 of the best part of being a father. “Even when things might not go right. Just seeing that kid face, the smile, the hugs, the ‘I love you daddy,’ that’s amazing…for your daughter or son to say ‘I love you dad,’ that’s better than me dunking the ball a million times with somebody, or blocking the shot.”
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David needs Dwight
For those who didn’t know, Howard has five kids with five different women – Braylon, Jayde, Layla, David, and Dwight III, a.k.a. Trey. He’s doing his best to be always there for them regardless of the situation, but among the five, David needs Dwight the most.
In 2020, David’s mom, Melissa Rios, died due to complications that “stemmed from having a seizure after fighting epilepsy.” Howard said it was “extremely difficult for me to try to understand how to talk to my son,” given David was only six years old at the time.
From that point forward, David has become a great source of “extra life” for Howard, and he’s been trying his best to help him cope with the pain the tragic moment left them.
“With just with him being here and stuff like that, it’s kind of given me some extra life…I really just had to try to explain it to him in the best way possible,” Howard said. “But even the fact that he’s still young, he still wouldn’t be able to understand. So I’m just trying to find ways to bring analogies to life and his mom, and how she’ll always be here with us.”
Undoubtedly, staying fit and competitive is not an easy task. But at the same time, being a father of five is no walk in the park either. So, you must be some kind of a Dwight Howard to do both.
