On the Brink: Predicting the fates of 16 borderline NBA Hall of Famers
By Cal Durrett
8) Dwight Howard
For a player who was the best center in the NBA for several seasons to be a borderline Hall of Famer is surprising. Dwight Howard's polarizing personality hasn't helped his case, with him seemingly burning bridges in several of his nine NBA stops. Just the fact that he left the Orlando Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers and then the Lakers for the Houston Rockets probably didn't sit well with many.
Nevertheless, Howard was a monster in his first 10 seasons in the NBA. Howard averaged 18.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 768 games. During that span, he made eight all-stars and, eight all-NBA teams, led the NBA in rebounds five times, won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009.
Even after his time as a star ended, he was still an above-average player, averaging 11.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 25 minutes over 474 games over the final eight seasons of his career. He also won a championship in 2020. With 19,485 points, 14,627 rebounds, and 2,228 blocks and winning a major award three times, Howard could and should make the Hall of Fame.