Dwight Howard ready to do ‘whatever’ 76ers ask to win Philadelphia title



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Right after winning his first NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard said on Wednesday he was ready to do whatever he asked him to do to win another with his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers. .

“Winning the championship was everything, and it made me realize I could have the best stats in the world and that doesn’t mean anything,” Howard said during his introductory video call after signing a one-year contract for the minimum with Philadelphia in free agency. “Because it was there, I won a championship and there were games where I didn’t score a bucket, nor get a basket, nor get minutes in a game. What really matters is just holding that trophy.

“That would be my message to everyone on the team: What are you willing to give up to get this trophy? Sometimes you have to give it all up. Sometimes your role and what do you want from yourself? [is] to give up the things you want to do the most. For me, I would have liked to be the guy who scores all the points and rebounds, but my team needed me for a specific purpose, and that was to provide spirit and energy on and off the ground.

“I think I’ve done a good job in this area, and whatever this team asks me to do, I’m ready to do it.”

After trading Al Horford to the Oklahoma City Thunder on draft night to better balance the roster, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said he would ask coach Doc Rivers to trying to sell the best candidates available in free agency to come to Philadelphia. and backing the team’s star center, Joel Embiid.

According to Howard, Rivers did just that, calling Howard shortly after free agency began at 6 p.m. ET on Friday and telling him the Sixers wanted to sign him.

Howard, who turns 35 next month, said that was ultimately what drove him to join the Sixers.

“The reason I was so attached to being here in Philly is because Doc was the only coach who called me during this free agency process,” Howard said. “He was the first one to call me and he said we want you. We want you on our team. And then Daryl called. I said that’s where I need to be right now. C ‘This is where my trip calls me. Philly. I’m so glad Doc called me, gave me the opportunity, and I said yes. I told him I would come. “

Howard’s Hall of Fame career has taken a roundabout route in recent seasons, as he rose from playing for the Orlando Magic for the first eight seasons of his six-team career – Lakers, Houston Rockets , the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte. Hornets, Washington Wizards, then the Lakers again – over the past eight seasons.

He’s now gone to Philadelphia, where he’ll play behind Embiid – who arguably picked up the torch long held by Howard as the NBA’s top center. And between the combination of Embiid and Ben Simmons, as well as the talent around them, Howard said he hopes he can be part of a second consecutive championship-winning team this season.

“There are a lot of things,” Howard said when asked why he thought the Sixers could win a title. “You have two great young stars in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, I’ll start there. These guys, for me, I watched when Joel lost [to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2019] and how it hurt, he just cried, and I know what it feels like. I’ve been in this moment before where it’s like, ‘Dude, I gave everything I got. I put it all on the line and failed. It doesn’t suit you, it stays with you for a very long time. So with him, I know he’s got a fire in him, and we’ve all seen a glimpse of that all year, and I think that’s the year it’s all about focusing. I see the focus in him, I see the focus in Ben, and that’s where it starts with our two best players.

“Then you look at the rest of the guys on our team, they were all hungry, they just never knew how to win. And I think adding a guy like Danny Green and myself, we just won. a championship, and I think we all know what it takes to really take it to the next level. And I think that’s a really great opportunity. You have a coach who is always talking about winning, how important it is to win , and you have players who I think this year, with the focus that this team will have and the drive that we need to have to be successful, will be our year. “

Howard, who was eating a lunch of baked chicken, sweet potato fries and corn during his video call, was also asked specifically about Embiid’s personality, and whether it’s possible to be light – like Howard was also at the start of his career – and winning at the highest level.

He pushed back strongly on this point, saying he thinks Embiid is doing the job required and that it doesn’t matter what his critics say.

“I don’t see what he’s doing as being awkward,” Howard said. “He gets the job done. I think people, they twist it when they see people laughing and joking and having fun and they say they’re not serious, or they’re not focused enough. C it’s just a time and a place for everything.

“I think what Joel is doing is great. It upsets the other opponents, it keeps him locked in and the team is playing better. Now, will there be times when we all have to be a little more serious? Yes. And this is something that we “All will have to learn together. How to be in certain situations. But I don’t think that’s part of the sacrifice. I think that’s part of just understanding time and place. “

“And I think it will be good for me to help show some of the younger ones because I’ve been in this position before where people thought I wasn’t focused or played too much. Maybe. for people on the outside. It seemed like I was playing too much. So it’s just about finding ways to do things right for the team, and I think we will do that this year. “

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