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[Saba Sports News] Dwight Howard has officially been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. The honor comes in his first year of eligibility.
The news was first reported Friday by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, began his career with the Orlando Magic, where he played for eight seasons and quickly established himself as one of the league’s most dominant big men.
Over his 18-year NBA career, Howard also suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers (in three separate stints), Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers.
His last NBA appearance came during the 2021–2022 season with the Lakers.
After stepping away from the NBA, Howard continued playing professionally overseas. He spent the 2022–2023 season with the Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL), and in 2024, he briefly signed with the Mets de Guaynabo of Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional but did not play a game for the team.
Howard’s resume speaks for itself: he’s an eight-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA selection, five-time rebounding champion, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, five-time All-Defensive Team honoree, and a 2020 NBA champion with the Lakers.
He joins fellow first-ballot inductee Carmelo Anthony as part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class—two legendary careers now etched in basketball history.