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Dwight Howard is a professional basketball player. He is one of the best American basketball players that are currently active in the National Basketball Association. He usually plays as a center for his team, but on occasion he is known to play as a power forward. Over the past six years he has been playing for the Orlando Magic, the team that drafted him straight from high school.

Dwight was born in Georgia into a family that was full of athletes, and for which sport was an important aspect of life. His father, a police officer, and his mother, a former basketball player, were the ones that guided him towards basketball. He started playing seriously when he was only nine years old. When he was in the eighth grade, he made a promise to himself and to others that one day he would grow up to become the first NBA draft pick, a promise that we will see he kept. In high school he was a student for the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, and he played for four years in the basketball team as a power forward. He received some recognition for his play during high school, such as the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, the High School Player of the Year, an award issued by Morgan Wootten, and even the National High School Player of The Year, an award issued by McDonald’s and Gatorade alike.

Inspired by another basketball celebrity superstar, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard decided not to pursue college education, and he went on to play in the NBA. His childhood dream came true, and he was first overall pick by the Orlando Magic. Again, inspired by Garnett, he wore the number 12, as opposed to the 21 worn by Garnett.

His career ever since being drafted in 2004 has shown nothing but achievements and a lot of recognition. He was twice declared the Defensive Player of the Year (in 2009 and 2010), four times the All Star NBA (2007 through 2010), he made the NBA all year team an astonishing seven times, and he was the 2008 Slam Dunk Champion in the special NBA contest. This is without a shadow of a doubt a great player, a franchise player that Orlando Magic can rely upon.

Unlike the other well known celebrity athletes, Dwight Howard has managed to stay clear of celebrity scandals and controversy. He is a devoted Christian, avid Gospel music listener, and he has managed to secure a name for himself as a philanthropist and a person who cares greatly about the welfare of others. He is married with Royce Reed, and together they have a son.

Howard is also a crucial player for the United States national basketball team. With the team, he has managed to win the Gold twice (in 2008 in the Beijing Olympic Games, and in 2007 FIBA Americas Championship), and the Bronze once (in 2006′s World Championship held in Japan).

With only a few years of him being active, we can safely say that Dwight Howard has nowhere to go but up!