Dwight Howard opted out of the last year of his contract with the Houston Rockets, and had a homecoming of his own after inking a three-year, $70.5 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta native got super emotional and broke down in tears at his first press conference with his new team. “This is a real new beginning for me, and I’m happy to share that with my loved ones,” he said, before pausing to regain his composure. “Oh man. There’s gonna be some memes,” he said as he tried to cover his face. He of course has seen what they did to LeBron James championship winning cry face, and of course the infamous Michael Jordan cry face from his Hall of Fame speech that is the king of all social media memes.
Howard said the faith Atlanta has shown in him has restored his “belief that I’m still the player” who was selected to eight All-Star Games and won three successive NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Howard admitted that his time with the Rockets left him with a “chip on his shoulder.” Injuries along with a diminished offensive role with the team, had many people thinking he was disinterested in competing and wasn’t as good as the player that took the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals. He credits the Hawks’ interest during free agency with helping him start feeling “really good about myself again.”
Howard says he’s ready to go out and compete this year, noting that how plays with the Hawks will allow him to hush the critics, “My body feels great, and I’m really looking forward to having a dominant season this year. New mentality, new attitude.”
