Dwight Howard says he'll play for Lakers in Disney World reboot and donate his salary
After some discussion about sitting out the NBA’s Disney World reboot, Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard said on CNN he plans to join his team in Orlando.
Howard had been part of the faction of NBA players concerned that a return to play would interfere with their efforts against racial injustice. He released a statement last month saying that basketball “isn’t needed at this moment, and will only be a distraction.”
While he was once undecided on playing, Howard said on Monday he would indeed play, and use his resulting paycheck — valued by ESPN at $700,000 — to advance his “Breathe Again” initiative.
Here’s Dwight Howard saying he plans to join the Lakers in Orlando, but says he’ll continue to push his initiative, ‘Breathe Again.’ Dwight says he’s gonna use his paycheck to help push the initiative and the movement. pic.twitter.com/H726ZsXCxP
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 7, 2020
Howard’s explanation for his decision:
“I have a contractual obligation to my teammates, to my fans, the Lakers, the organization and everyone, but at the same time, I also have an obligation to my family and my community. So, yes, I will be joining my team in Orlando, but during that time, we will be getting a lot of work done here in Atlanta and around the nation as far as making sure people don't forget about us and what's going on in our communities.”
No player opting out of the NBA’s reboot has yet cited the same concerns about racial justice as Howard. Every player who has made the decision so far has cited concerns about their health or family.
Per ESPN, the Breathe Again initiative was started through Howard’s D12 Foundation back in 2015, but had fallen dormant. When the initiative was launched, Howard reportedly wrote the following to describe it:
“My sadness has grown deeper as I watch people firmly plant themselves on one side or the other, usually based on race. We need new perspective, a new life. We need to Breathe Again. Oxygen represents life. We need to fill our bodies with new life. It is time for us to look past color, zip codes, the problems and look toward the causes and solutions.”
The 34-year-old Howard had been having a solid season as a bench player with the Lakers before the NBA’s hiatus, averaging 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game and shooting 73.2 percent from the field. Replacing him would have been difficult, especially with starting guard Avery Bradley already sitting out due to concerns about his son’s history of respiratory illness.
The Lakers currently sit atop the Western Conference at 53-12 and will be among the favorites to win an unusual NBA playoffs in Orlando.
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