NBA basketball legend Dwight Howard retires at age 40

During his prime, Dwight Howard was a leading NBA center known for his strength-driven approach.

Basketball legend Dwight Howard has officially announced his retirement after nearly 20 years of professional play. The information was shared by this renowned center in a social media post on March 13 morning Vietnam time.

In a message to fans, Howard stated he still has much desire to contribute but feels it is time to move to a new chapter in his life.

"When I woke up on the 12th of this month, I realized it was time to leave the 'Superman' persona. I will remove the cape and retire from basketball to spend time with family and contribute to the community.", the player once known by the nickname "Superman" wrote.

Howard admitted that seeing many players still competing at age 40 once inspired him to continue staying on the court. However, after two decades of top-level play, he believes his mission now is to pass on experience and motivation to the younger generation of players.

In fact, Howard's last NBA appearance was in 2022, during his third stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. After that, he continued his career in Asia when joining the Taoyuan Leopards in Taipei, China in 2023 —which was also the last time this center played in a professional game.

Dwight Howard's career began when he was selected by the Orlando Magic as the first pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. From a young talent moving straight from high school to the NBA, Howard quickly became one of the league's top centers due to his strength, defensive ability, and dominance in the paint.

After 8 successful seasons in Orlando, Howard continued playing for several other teams such as the Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout his career, he was voted into the All-Star team 8 times and won the NBA championship in 2020 with the Lakers during their first reunion.

In 2025, Howard was honored into the American Basketball Hall of Fame, affirming his status as one of the best NBA centers of the 21st century.