Van Gundy: “The best Howard was like Kobe or LeBron”

Dwight Howard’s career is now coming to an end, with the player no longer finding a place in the NBA and moving to the non-irresistible T1 League in Taiwan, but he was once rightly considered the best center in the league and the worthy successor to Shaquille O’Neal in Magic’s jersey.

His coach at the time in Orlando, Stan Van Gundy, during his appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast, recalled how between 2008 and 2012, Howard was one of the best players in the NBA alongside Kobe Bryant and LeBron James:

During the time I was there [in Orlando], the only players who were at his level were LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who was still playing. Only them. There was no one else at that level, in my opinion

Stan Van Gundy

Van Gundy recalled how Dwight was capable of making a difference thanks to his extraordinary athletic abilities, especially on the defensive end of the court, to the point of winning the Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive years (2009, 2010, and 2011):

We have to consider both sides of the court. He was the Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive years. And we were one of the top three defenses in the NBA solely because of him. We had good players but not great defenders, he made us an excellent defense

Stan Van Gundy

Howard was also capable of scoring an average of 20 points on offense, as he was an exceptional pick-and-roll player, triggered by the team’s two playmakers, Jameer Nelson and Hidayet “Hedo” Türkoğlu:

And then on offense, he gave you more than 20 points. We didn’t always give him the ball to accumulate statistics, but everything revolved around him. He was excluded from the top 75 players in history only because of his personality, but he deserved to be there

Stan Van Gundy

Van Gundy’s words are true, during that historical period, Howard was the most dominant center in the league, capable of leading the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009 after eliminating LeBron James‘ Cavs, only to be defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers of a determined Kobe Bryant, who was determined to prove he could win without Shaq.

Howard’s dominance in the NBA had even led to comparisons with O’Neal. Although Magic’s #12 did not have Shaq’s physique, he was the master of the paint thanks to incredible athleticism that earned him the nickname “Superman.”

Subsequently, back injuries prevented Dwight from maintaining his level of play, so after two failed experiences with the Lakers and Rockets, he continued his career as a role player, managing to win the title in 2020 alongside James in the second, and more fortunate, Los Angeles experience.