Dwight Howard has played for two different teams since leaving the Los Angeles Lakers following a tumultuous one-year stint in Hollywood. That doesn’t mean fans have forgotten about being spurned by the All-Star center; booing Dwight Howard every time he touched the ball during the Los Angeles Lakers’ home stand against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday. One fan in particular, eventually caught Dwight Howard’s attention as the former three-time defensive player of the year was leaving the floor following a 109-94 loss.
In a video posted by TMZ, Dwight Howard was seen making his way to the locker room after a 19-point, nine-rebound, two-block performance, before stopping to confront a fan heckling him. He was then heard telling the fan to come down the floor and “call him a b---- to his face,” as he was being restrained by security.
Bill Oram of the OC Register spoke with Dwight Howard postgame to talk about his most recent return to Staples Center, where the former Los Angeles Laker said the hostile reception by the home crowd “doesn’t matter” and that he “closes his ears” to the booing.
Some postgame thoughts from chatterbox Dwight Howard, who was booed every time he touched the ball tonight in LA. pic.twitter.com/vUHfgjFjiu
— Bill Oram (@billoram) November 28, 2016
The Atlanta Hawks have been struggling of late, losing five of their last six games to drop to 10-7 for the season. As noted by Ball Don’t Lie, the Atlanta Hawks have been outscored by nearly 10 points per 100 possessions during that difficult stretch—on their way to the league’s worst offensive rating over the last six games.
Dwight Howard has had a solid season thus far for the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 14.4 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks thru 16 games, while shooting 60 percent from the floor. He has also appeared to rediscover his defensive presence, emerging has one of this season’s best defensive anchors. If his rebounding and block average holds up for the whole year, it would be his highest since the 2012-13 season.
