The Evolution of Dwight Howard

When Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard bullies an opposing big man down low for position in the paint or throws down a dunk over two soaring defenders, words such as "intimidating," "powerful," and "dominant" are thrown around by analysts to describe the twenty-two year old All-Star. Many years ago, however, few would have predicted that these adjectives would someday be used to describe the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy student. At the start of eighth grade, Howard wasn't the dominant post presence that he is today. Instead, he was a scrawny point guard who stood at just 5'10" and was overlooked by many of his peers. “I was really skinny and went to a smaller Christian school. No one thought I’d ever make it out or do anything with my basketball career," he recalls. Upon entering high school, however, things started changing. In two years, Dwight had a freakish growth spurt, growing almost an entire foot. At 6'9", he made the Varsity squad and was immediately switched to ... (link)