{"id":1076538,"date":"2019-12-12T11:01:29","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T16:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1076538"},"modified":"2019-12-12T11:01:30","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T16:01:30","slug":"dwight-howard-finally-tells-magic-fans-that-hes-sorry-for-breaking-their-hearts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/dwight-howard-finally-tells-magic-fans-that-hes-sorry-for-breaking-their-hearts\/","title":{"rendered":"Dwight Howard Finally Tells Magic Fans That He's Sorry for Breaking Their Hearts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite knowing them from afar, sports fans get attached to their favorite players. That can lead to a great deal of heartache when a star is traded or, even more painfully, decides to leave on their own accord<\/a>. That's exactly what happened in 2012, when Dwight Howard<\/a> forced his way out of the Orlando Magic organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday night, however, Howard returned to the scene of the crime. Before the game, though, he had an unusual message for the fans: leaving town was necessary, but he was sorry for departing on such bad terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dwight Howard's time with the Orlando Magic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kxpMpCP35Ik\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early 2000s, Dwight Howard exploded onto the high school basketball landscape. The young forward skills were so apparent that he decided to skip college entirely and jump directly into the NBA draft. The Orlando Magic selected him first overall<\/a>, hoping to land a franchise player who would play in Florida for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite some early struggles\u2014the Magic didn\u2019t initially utilize Howard as a center\u2014the young player\u2019s potential. Howard finished third in Rookie of the Year voting but would only improve as he continued to physically develop and adjust to the NBA game. After working with Brian Hill and moving into the center position, Howard quickly became a star, carrying Orlando to the NBA Finals and\u00a0winning the three Defensive Player of the Year Awards<\/a>. At that point, it seemed like he could do no wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thing weren't rosy forever, though. During the 2011-12 season, Dwight Howard requested a trade<\/a>; he said that if the Magic didn't comply, he would simply leave town in free agency. He later rescinded the request, saying that he was happy to stay if Orlando tried to compete for an NBA championship. The damage was already done. After some drama around the trade deadline and an attempt to get head coach Stan Van Gundy fired<\/a>, Howard eventually got his wish; in the summer of 2012, the Magic traded him to the Lakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building bridges with Orlando Magic Fans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dwight Howard is back in Orlando and he seems to be excited. #Magic<\/a> #Lakers<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/avdHh2oAEN<\/a><\/p>— Ben Rivera (@BRivera9_) December 11, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote>