Dwight Howard has said and done some really stupid things during his time in the NBA and now we have a lovely little story from former Orlando Magic CEO Bob Vander Weide. Apparently Howard thought he was one of the greats and when he went to describe how he was an icon, it went a little something like this.
The following was transcribed by George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel in a conversation he had with Vander Weide.
"When he told me he was an icon, guess what three names he used [to compare himself to]? Michael Jordan. Muhammad Ali. Nelson Mandela.
"Are you kidding me? We've been to the Finals once and you're a great athlete, and you're an icon like these three? I knew it was over. I knew there was no chance of keeping him."
Let's break this down for a second. The Magic had been to one Finals and won one game in that series. Sure the big man won the Defensive Player of the Year three straight times, but he really hadn't much else. There were some All-Star games, but he wasn't a true leader and this doesn't help his image of being a guy who has little to no self-awareness.
The timing from Vander Weide seems odd, but it's not like he was going to come out with this information while they were trying to get rid of him in the trade that ultimately sent him to Los Angeles. Stay weird, Dwight. You might make it work for you some time down the road.
