NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. HEAT

September 29, 2020

Dwight Howard

Los Angeles Lakers

Practice Day

Q. Congrats on making it to the Finals again. Can you talk about just playing with leaders like LeBron and Rondo who have been here before, and you being here before as well. Elaborate on that and just your overall thoughts on being back in the NBA Finals?

DWIGHT HOWARD: Oh, man, I'm just so grateful to the most high for just allowing me to have this moment and being able to share it with some of the greatest players in the world, but also my son. This has been amazing, so very thankful to be back in this moment.

It's been the hardest road to get back here and I'm very grateful. One thing is I've never just given up on myself. I've always continued to work as hard as I can knowing that one day things will change.

I'm just looking forward to stepping on the floor, and hopefully at the end of this battle that we have against the Heat, hoisting up that trophy.

Q. What's it like for you to have your son next to you right now to experience this with you? I see you're smiling. And he's smiling too. Second part is what is it about playing against Bam that you like his game so much? Start with your son first.

DWIGHT HOWARD: Oh, man, I think it's just amazing to have him here. I know one day in the bubble me and him was sitting down having some ice cream and he asked me, he said, Dad, why is life so hard? And I just had to really sit there and think about what would my answer be back to him.

I said you know, life isn't hard. I thought about saying life is hard, but it's also what you make it. Might have some tough moments, but you'll always be able to conquer it if you just stay focused and locked in.

No matter what goes on, you have to understand that this is a roller coaster. There are going to be some great days, some bad days, but at the end of the day I'm always going to be here to love and support you no matter what.

He was happy about that, and that gave me some just extra motivation to continue to just be the right example for him. Waking up early, going to the gym with him, teaching him how to play basketball and read to him. Just spending more time with him. Just this isolated time with him so he could understand his dad is always here, even though his dad is fighting for a championship.

And then secondly, going up against Bam, I feel like he's a very key piece of their team. You can't overlook anything he's done all year. I enjoy seeing his progress from when he was at Kentucky to now. He's really grown as a player and a person.

I'm happy about his growth, and I'm looking forward to our matchup on the court. I'm pretty sure he's looking forward to it as well. Used to call him my twin actually back when he was at Kentucky. People said we looked alike and we had similar style of games.

So just crazy to see the development that he's had over the years.

Q. Your last playoff appearance with the Lakers was a long time ago. When it ended, I'm sure there were all kinds feelings you were going through. I was wondering if the disappointment of not being able to live up to the expectations of that team has played any part in the excitement you have in getting back to the Finals with this team?

DWIGHT HOWARD: Not at all. I don't think that it was a disappointment of expectations. We made it to the Finals. Only two teams that can do that every year.

For our team to go from where we were with the Magic, where people calling us in the city of Orlando tragic, from us being really, really bad to being one of the most talked about teams in the NBA and team spirit and having to come play the Magic; It meant a lot to me, Jameer Nelson, and the rest of guys on the team to how we were a part of making the Magic a household name.

That was really our goal when I got there, was to really change how people viewed us. People just thought that, hey, we're playing the Magic. We can go to Disney World, Universal Studios the night before the game and we don't have too much to worry about because it's just the Magic. Then into a team that's like, man, when you go against Magic, you got to be ready. They got some shooters, they got some bigs, they got a great coach, they got some really amazing fans, and, you know, it's going to be hard to play them out there.

We're we just happy that we turned all that around. Even losing, what that did was just put a fire under us to want to get better, to be the best we can be to try to bring a championship to Orlando.

And so now coming back to Orlando again, everything is full circle to have that opportunity, and I just want to make the most of it. With however long I play on the court, just go all out knowing it's going to take just four games to win an NBA title and how close we are to the goal line.

I just want to give it all.

Q. So what would it mean to you to win this title in the season that we lost Kobe?

DWIGHT HOWARD: Oh, man, I think it'll be one of the best feelings in the world. I sit at home, sit in the room, and I walk around the bubble and I just think about how that feeling would be just to hold up that trophy. It brings me to tears every time I think about it.

Every day since we been in the bubble it's been like, man, this is a great opportunity. Take full advantage of it and stay in the moment. You know, even after we won the Western Conference Finals I wanted to be like, all right, this is not the goal just to win with the Western Conference Finals. The goal is the win the championship.

Just felt so good and filled with emotions that night just knowing that we had got all the way back to the Finals and how hard it is and how hard you have to really work, how mentally strong you have to be in this league to get to the Finals.

It's one of the toughest things you can accomplish as an athlete is winning a championship. I'm just very grateful and thankful that I have this opportunity to play on this team and that we have an opportunity to win a championship.

Q. After joining this Lakers team it was like a breath of fresh air for your career, as we have seen you perform at a level that's extremely high even with the minutes you're getting. Do you feel like coming back to the Lakers feels like coming back home? Is this home for you? Can we see you here for an extended period of time after the season?

DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, it is a breath of fresh air to be back with the Lakers. I think a lot of people had a different perception of how everything ended, and I'm glad that we both, I think on both sides of the team and for myself personally, I think that everything is different.

You know, I'm looking forward to just going out there, putting this jersey on, and just seeing Lakers every day. Just means so much to me. Going around before COVID just playing in each city, seeing all the fans, Lakers fans, seeing all the kids, even my kids who have that Lakers jersey and how much it means to them.

It's just really an awesome feeling. For me, it was just like letting go of ego, pride, and just understanding that you can't have that in order to live a really successful life. Just understanding that coming back to this team, I was going to give whatever I had to give up just to be the best player I can be for this team.

A lot of that work, a lot of the things that have happened during the course of this season, has just made me a better man, made me a better teammate. And just looking forward, like I said, to playing in the Finals and just enjoying that moment and seeing our Lakers fans who have really been faithful and really kept us strong, just playing for them.