National Basketball Association

Dwight Howard says he's 'still a champion' after playoff exit

Published May. 28, 2015 9:45 a.m. ET

foxsports

By Darren Hartwell

Dwight Howard is a “glass half full” kind of guy, which is an admirable trait. Except when the glass is empty.

Howard’s Houston Rockets fell to the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday night, thus extending their NBA title drought to 20 seasons.

After the game, Howard — who led the Rockets with 18 points, 16 rebounds and one technical foul — was asked about the disappointing end to the season.

“It’s tough, but I won’t stop fighting,” Howard said, via CBSSports.com. “I’m going to continue to push myself to the limit and remember that, no matter how the season ends, I’m still a champion. And I won’t let anyone tell me anything different.”

Sorry, Dwight. We know you don’t want to be told anything different, but we’re going to tell you something different. You are not a champion, because you have not won a championship.

Howard obviously means well here, and his comments reflect a determination to do whatever it takes to win an NBA title (which, for the record, he hasn’t won since entering the league in 2004). Howard also led his high school to a state title as a senior and the Orlando Magic to an Eastern Conference championship in 2009, so technically he is a champion of sorts.

It’s also possible Howard has time travel capabilities and will win a title a few years from now, but we just don’t know it. For his sake, let’s hope that’s the case.

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