Orlando Magic superstar star Dwight Howard says NBA players are together
Orlando Magic super star Dwight Howard believes the NBA players are a close knit family that will continue to support each other. He aired these views after hosting an exhibition game in the city that featured both current and former Magic players.
The game that was attended by around 10,000 fans was a way for Howard and the players to show their appreciation of the community, with all proceeds going to his charitable D12 Foundation. However the event also served another purpose, that to show solidarity among the NBA players.
Howard didn’t want to comment on the NBA lockout after the game, but said the players had shown on Sunday that they were still together and would have each other’s back when push came to shove.
"One thing I like about it is that it's NBA players out supporting each other," Howard said. "It's great. We're like frat brothers. No matter what team these guys are on or whatever, we still support each other. We're still brothers.”
The centre spoke just a day before the National Basketball Players Association meets to discuss the latest proposal made by NBA Commissioner David Stern for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The players are widely expected to reject the deal, which calls for massive salary cuts and a restrictive system.
If that were to happen, the NBPA could decertify and the season in all probability will be lost. The players will have to sit out at least a year and miss out on a collective pay check close to $2 billion. That is a huge hit for anyone to take, so it was important for Howard that guys still acted like a family.
“That's the thing I always tell the guys that have been on my team. No matter what happens in life, we'll always be family. I hope it showed tonight."
One of the players who took part in the game as a former magic player was Penny Hardaway. The former Orlando star, just like Dwight, did not want to get drawn on the lockout after the game.
He too though focused on the message of unity sent out by the game and revelled in his return to the city, which he described as a special moment for him.
"I felt great because I hadn't been back, especially in this type of atmosphere since I left the Magic," Hardaway said. "I thank Dwight for doing this because I don't know if it would happen otherwise.”
The game featured a whole host of current and former Orlando Magic players, including Gilbert Arenas, Brandon Bass, Quentin Richardson, Jameer Nelson, Ryan Anderson, Courtney Lee, Matt Barnes, Rashard Lewis, Trevor Ariza and Marcin Gortat.
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