Howard ‘grew up here,’ fondly recalls Orlando
From high above the floor Friday morning, longtime security guard Marie yelled down to the players and media members congregating around the Amway Arena court waiting for Dwight Howard to finish up his practice session with the Washington Wizards.
It’s been six years since Howard wore the blue and white pinstripes of the Orlando Magic, but they still haven’t forgotten the man who helped lead them to the 2009 NBA Finals.
“Hi, Dwight,” hollered Marie, an arena security guard for the past 14 years dating to the team’s time at the old O-Rena.
Howard looked up, and even way up in the cheapseat section where Marie was making rounds he recognized the woman behind the voice.
“I’ve been knowing her since I was a baby,” Howard laughed.
He was being a bit facetious, of course, but he was not altogether incorrect. Howard grew up as an NBA player in Orlando, and he remembers the time as fondly as do those who watched him play. He still enjoys coming back and his children live here, so that’s another big positive about visiting during the season.
“It’s just like when you go back to your hometown as a kid. I grew up here … I think a lot of people saw me grow up,” Howard said. “Anytime we see each other it’s like, ‘Hey man, I remember when you came here, you ate at our restaurant.’ … A lot of times people send me pictures of me in that restaurant or hotel and somebody took a picture. … It’s cool. It’s an awesome feeling.
“In my house in Atlanta, I have a lot of the pictures of the people here in Orlando who made a big difference in my life. I just keep that with me … and I look at it almost every day anytime I’m at home during the summer. I look at the different pictures and stuff of my time here in Orlando.
“I have an opportunity to see my kids while I’m here.”
And of course there were plenty of pictures and memories made during that near-championship run that was derailed by Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers during five games in 2009.
“As far as basketball, we always talk about the team we that had here and how we were committed to winning, how we were committed to making this city better,” Howard said, “… How we were trying to change the perception of the Orlando Magic. When teams came, the focus was, ‘Let’s go to Disney or Universal Studios and have some fun because the Magic were gonna be easy.’ We wanted to change that.”
Howard parted ways with the Magic in 2012 as a free agent, signing with the Lakers much like Shaquille O’Neal did to the dismay of fans in 1996.
“I would never say anything bad about this team or this city, especially this city. More so the city than the team,” Howard said. “I’ll always be grateful for this organization, for this city. We went through some tough times together and I really got a chance to learn Orlando, pretty much this whole area … not from just coming and playing games here, but just being out in the community, doing different events, the barbecues we used to have just to get to know the fans.”
Howard remembered Magic head coach Steve Clifford back in that 2009 Finals season when Clifford was an assistant to Stan Van Gundy.
“You have Stan, who is a very animated coach, and then you have Cliff, who when he became a head coach, he became like a Stan, but when he was assistant coach, he was more so the quiet one,” Howard said. “Stan would be the one who was yelling and trying to get at you from that standpoint and with [Clifford], he just wanted to be that voice in your ear, ‘Hey, it’s OK, we’re gonna get it done.’ He’s one of those guys. Him and Stan complemented each other very well.”
Howard also talked briefly about conversations he had with Magic rookie center Mohamed Bamba.
“He hit me up a few times asking about the city of Orlando,” Howard recalled. “He’s gonna be a very great player for this team, this city. I told him just to enjoy it, really embrace the community here, they’ll embrace you back. I think he’s gonna be awesome.”