National Basketball Association

Atlanta Hawks: Let Dwight Howard Live

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Dwight Howard was a fan favorite until he left Orlando. Can he regain his popularity now that he has joined the Atlanta Hawks?

It feels like lifetimes ago, but when Dwight Howard was a member of the Orlando Magic he was one of the most popular players in the NBA. He was a pick-and-roll machine and a rim-protecting menace. His jovial personality was adored by fans. He became famous for breaking out the Superman cape and slapping pictures of his face on backboards at the Slam Dunk Contest.

In 2008-09 he led an extremely entertaining Magic team to the NBA Finals where they came up just short against Kobe Bryant‘s Los Angeles Lakers. The next few seasons Howard was even better on an individual level. You could even make the argument that Howard should have won the MVP award over Derrick Rose during the 2010-11 season (he definitely should have won it).

Howard was fun. He was likable. He was an absolute superstar and easily one of the top 10 players in the NBA. Then the tide turned. A few disgruntled quotes here, a trade request there, and a trade to the Lakers quickly turned Howard hero to villain.

It didn’t help that Howard’s move coincided with the rise of Twitter and the “embrace debate” era of sports media. Anyone with wi-fi and an opinion could shout their nonsensical thoughts into the internet for all the world to hear. Never Twitter search his name if he’s having a bad game. It gets rough out there.

Hot takes became the norm and hating Howard became just something NBA fans (and sometimes players) did. Skip Bayless literally talked trash right to Howard’s face during an interview from a few years ago.

When he joined the Houston Rockets, the Howard hate went into overdrive. Some of that was his own doing, of course. He struggled through injuries and he didn’t always get along with James Harden. Rumors of locker room instability flooded the news cycle.

In February, a report surfaced that during the 2014 season Harden was trying to get Howard traded while Howard was trying to get Harden traded. That is some world class pettiness and certainly didn’t help Howard’s already tainted public image.

Now Howard gets a fresh start. This summer he signed a three-year, $70.5 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks. He’s not the superstar he once was, but he’s still a good player that will significantly improve Atlanta’s rebounding.

Last season Howard played in 71 games, averaging 13.7 and 11.8 rebounds per game on 62 percent shooting. If he plays that well for that many games this season, Hawks fans won’t care about his past transgressions. He can still play and now he has a chance to rewrite his narrative during the twilight of his career.

It’s so strange the way some fans choose to hate players. Are guys like James Harden and Howard really worthy of such strong dislike? Shouldn’t that level of vitriol be reserved for murderers, domestic abusers, and alleged rapists?

Did he deserve to have Charles Barkley ask him why everyone hates him on national television? Lets keep things in perspective. Howard’s worst offense is that he acts like a diva on occasion.

I implore NBA fans to give Howard a break this season. Let him play basketball for the Hawks without making every quote an indictment on his character. If he pulls a hamstring he isn’t “weak” or “soft.” If he squabbles with his Hawks teammates he isn’t evil. He’s just human.

Donald Trump is running for president, so there are far worse things than Dwight Howard saying passive aggressive things about his coach or demanding a trade. Save the hot takes for the people that deserve them.

I’m not sure Howard will ever be a hero again, but was he ever the villain he was made out to be?