Dwight Howard gets extremely emotional during Magic HOF speech

Dwight Howard had a very special Monday night, getting inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame ahead of the team's game against the Lakers. It was a special night, with the former 3-time Defensive Player Of The Year speaking candidly during the ceremony.

Dwight Howard's career tailed off in the latter years, but it's easy to forget that he was a franchise superstar during his Magic tenure. And while he was incredibly humble and grateful in his speech, it got quite intense for Howard, who had tears in his eyes as he spoke.

Dwight Howard got emotional shouting out his parents after getting inducted into the Magic HOF ❤️🙏

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— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 24, 2025

"First I wanna start by thanking my parents, my mom and my dad," Howard said, barely able to get the words out. "Oh, I'm already getting emotional. Sorry," he added as his voice started to break.

As he teared up, Howard took a moment and continued, saying, "I wanna thank my parents for being there and supporting me throughout this journey. NBA is a very tough sport, very difficult to go through. And you guys have been there from Day 1.

"Pops, you believed in me. You told me that if I wanted to make it, you would sacrifice anything for me to get there. And you did. So thank you."

Being an NBA superstar comes with a multitude of things that players have to deal with, and Dwight Howard acknowledged that in a heartfelt fashion. For any athlete, support from parents is a crucial pillar for making it, and Howard more than made it to the big leagues.

As a 5-time All-NBA First Team player and 8-time NBA All-Star, someone who led the Orlando Magic to the Finals and one of the most dominant big men the game has seen, Dwight Howard truly deserves to enjoy this moment and emotionally reflect on his successes.

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