NBA Q&A: Dwight Howard

Posted by Unknown on Thursday, November 07, 2013 with No comments
Courtesy of Sam Amick 

On being asked about his free agency decision when playing at Staples Center vs. the Los Angeles Clippers recently:

"I thought it was irrelevant to talk about why I left L.A. at this point. It happened this summer. I left. People make decisions. People change jobs. People change their minds every day, but I mean, it is what it is. I think I made the best decision for Dwight, and who cares what everybody else says? People are going to love. They're going to hate me. But hey, at least they feel something. Love, hate, at least that's an emotion. Obviously they care. And I care about what I do with my life, and I'm going to continue to say that this is the best decision for Dwight."

On what returning to the Staples Center was like, as a reminder:

"When you're losing, and the way we lost last year, I was like the lightning rod for everything that happened. I totally understood that. But I never changed who I was as a person.

"You can give to people a million times, but the one time you do something that they don't like, that's the thing that they remember. So that's how it always is. That's what I tell people, the kids (he talks to): you have to do what's best for you, and continue to do that. If people don't like you, so what? You continue to be good to people because in the end you'll get blessed for it. I'm blessed right now, being here and with this team. They have been great to me. My body is a lot better, and they've been doing an excellent job in the locker room, in the training room, making sure I get healthier every day. I feel like I made the best decision. This is an amazing place."

On his reputation among critics:

"All people remember is what happened in Orlando, or what they thought happened. They don't really know the true story. The thing that I've always said is that the truth will come out sooner or later, but I'm not going to change up the person that I am just to get the truth out. I keep playing basketball, keep playing hard, keep being Dwight, and people will see that.

"Personally, I don't think people that I've come across have ever said I was a bad person. It's the people who watch TV. They watch TV. They believe everything that they hear, so that's why. And it's totally understandable. If I saw an actor on TV and they talked about him in a bad way, of course I'm going to say this is a bad person.

"But I've always been great to my teammates, to the people around me. I'd give my last for somebody else, so it is what it is. They can boo me as much as they want, because at the end of the day I'm still going to be in my life and I'm still going to be around people who love me for who I am. That's it."