Dwight Howard says his ego “had to die” for him to become the person (and basketball player) he is today.
Howard, 33, realizes he can no longer be “that main dude” on an NBA team.
The big fella joined his fifth team in five seasons when the Washington Wizards traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies last week.
Per The Athletic:
“I don’t have an ego — it’s dead,” Howard told The Athletic. “It had to die for me to be who I am. Sometimes when you want to become who you want to be, you have to die within yourself. Once you learn that you have to give up yourself for the team, that’s when things flourish.
“I had a conversation with someone, and he said, ‘To be honest, man, I always thought you had a chance to be one of the best players to ever play, and still do. But I don’t think you’ve been focused.’ I started to sit back and think about what that meant. I thought I was focused. I was always in the gym, working. But was I really focused? Was I really locked in on what I was doing in life?
“It took a while to see that when I was that guy. I was that main dude for a long time. Now it is about whatever it takes. I thought I had that mindset, but I didn’t have it like I do now.”
What do you envision from a new team now?
“I want to be whatever a team needs me to be. I’ve played in every situation so far. I used to really hate how Draymond (Green) plays, but what I noticed watching him during these playoffs was that he does everything for the team. He’s everywhere. He’ll get a tech, he’ll take a charge, he’ll be everywhere on defense. He’s talking. He does everything. It doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, but it shows up in the mind of everyone watching. I want to be that person.”
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