Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard will travel to Orlando, Florida, with his teammates to participate in the NBA's restart, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Howard explained his decision while also noting he will donate the rest of his game checks this season to his Breathe Again campaign, which he is relaunching:
CNN Tonight @CNNTonight
Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard tells CNN's @DonLemon that he will be playing when the NBA resumes its regular season.
"Yes, I will be joining my team in Orlando," he says. https://t.co/kk7LkvaEHt
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Lakers
center Dwight Howard tells @TheAthletic @Stadium: “My NBA salary and
platform, while in the bubble, will be used to ignite a breath of fresh
air into the community.” Full statement: https://t.co/u4JlQ7q1ud
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters last week that Howard was still on the fence about his availability.
"We've been in communication with Dwight the whole way with supportive phone calls and text messages," Vogel said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "We don't know what the level of participation is going to be yet. He wants to play. We're hopeful that he's able to join us."
McMenamin noted Howard is caring for his six-year-old son, whose mother died in March.
The
eight-time All-Star had also expressed to Charania the importance he
felt about continuing to keep the focus on the ongoing protests against
police brutality, systemic racism and social inequality:
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Lakers'
Dwight Howard in statement to @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium: "Our main
objective is to raise awareness and gain transparency...Many of our
fellow players are afraid to voice their concerns and are continuing to
follow along with what they believe they have to."
https://t.co/dfTlSPBwpV
The Lakers will be without Avery Bradley, who opted out over concerns about the health of his family were he to play.
Losing
Howard would have been another tough blow for Los Angeles since the
team's available options to replace him at center would have been
limited.
The 34-year-old has been great in a limited role
this season. Prior to the NBA suspending play, he was averaging 7.5
points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 19.2 minutes per game. His rim
protection and rebounding have helped the Lakers to post the league's
third-best defensive rating (105.5), per NBA.com.
Having Howard in the paint will aid L.A. in its quest for a 17th title.
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