Once upon a time, Dwight Howard was the most devastating athlete in the NBA. He jumped out of the gym to block shots and dunk over anyone standing in his path.
He is still one of the biggest forces to be reckoned with in the paint area, but the center simply hasn’t been the kind of freak leaper that he once was since suffering back issues and undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk back in 2012.
Part of it may be that he is simply starting to get a bit older, but it’s safe to say that most recognized the change in his game when he returned from surgery to play for the Los Angeles Lakers last season. He has looked better this season, but even he realizes that he is no longer the player that he once was, to the point where it amazes him when he looks back at the things he used to be able to do:
Dang I was bouncing in 2008. That superman dunk was insane.
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) February 14, 2014
With the All-Star weekend upon us, it makes sense that Howard would reminisce about the days when he was the center of attention. In case you forgot just how ridiculous he really was in that 2008 dunk contest, here you go:
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.