Fun-Loving Dwight Howard Talks About Faith and Nudity

You always wonder if the personas that you see from athletes in the media are anything like they are in real life. So when FanHouse was offered a chance to talk to Dwight Howard on Tuesday, I wondered if he would actually be as fun-loving as he seems. Even if it was a brief phone interview to promote, well, himself as the cover athlete for NBA Live 10, Howard's personality shines through.

When the Magic patched me through to him, he wasn't aware I was on the line, and he was still messing with whatever other media engagement he was in the middle of. And messing with the phone. I waited, assuming he was talking to someone about something serious.

"Luuuke! I am your faaaaather."

And that's Dwight Howard.

Howard's busy promoting several things which have his mug all over it, not the least of which is the new ESPN "Body" issue, where he appears (ahem) as God intended. I asked Howard if it was weird having that much attention being paid to him, even though people usually marvel at his upper body, considering he was "nekkid." Howard, as usual, chose to have fun with it. "No, actually it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the shoot and I hope the pictures are interesting for people." I asked him if, after his talk about how the Magic are overlooked in the media if attention like this made him feel any better about it. "Well, the attention is certainly a blessing," says Howard, "but my focus right now is with my teammates and trying to compete for a championship. I just want to try and bring some joy back to the people in Orlando."

Howard's also been made the cover-man in digital form, as he's promoting NBA Live 10. Since the rest of the time he's experiencing the game first-hand, I asked him if it was weird seeing himself on screen and noting how much bigger he is than everybody else. "Mostly I just really like the game. I played the demo a few months ago and loved it and now all my friends and I play. They're always telling me 'Man, you're the Real Superman in the game, man! It's not fair!' The game is hot."



I also wanted to know who had more post moves, the video game version of him or the real-life version. "Oh, the video game version, definitely," Howard deadpanned. Good news is that the video game version won't have to face scrutiny from digital Brett Pollakoff about his post-moves.

This season the Magic will try to improve upon last year's highly successful run that saw them advance to the NBA Finals. Each year since Howard has entered the league, he's markedly improved on one area of his game over the summer, usually whatever his critics would point to. In the beginning it was his aggressiveness, until he started dominating inside. Then it was rebounding, until he took the rebounding title. Then last season, people questioned his defensive acumen. That resulted in nothing less than Defensive Player of the Year. So what has Howard been working on this summer? "Free throws, actually. I committed to trying to work on being consistent from the free throw line. I spent a lot of time in the gym this summer with the coaching staff. I'd spend about two hours a day doing nothing but working on free throws. I'd have to hit at least 200 makes a day, but even when I hit that, I usually stayed after to keep shooting. Sometimes I'd shoot 600 free throws a day."

With the All-Star Game being in Dallas this year in the spectacle that is the Jerry Dome, I wanted to ask the former Dunk Champ some questions about the contest which will be at American Airlines. Howard's been foiled in the past when league restrictions kept him from being able to raise the rim, and other restrictions on props. Does a guy who brought back the gimmick successfully using his cape and other gadgetry have any frustrations with those restrictions? "Well, the Dunk Contest is all about entertainment and the fans. Part of it is that by now, almost all the good dunks have been done. So it's really hard to come up with something new. So me and Nate (Robinson), we're always sitting around trying to come up with new stuff. I think as long as the rules are there to keep you from doing too many attempts, there shouldn't be that many rules."

Naturally, I had to ask Howard if he was competing in the big event this year, expecting a simple answer. "I don't know, man. I'm getting kind of old."

Pause.

Moore: Yeah, you're 23. You're ancient.
Howard: I know! I'm getting too old! (Haha) No, only if the fans vote me in again.

On top of all of his on-court accolades and off-the-court celebrity, Howard has also made a significant commitment to philanthropy and helping others. Did his strong religious background influence his charity work?

"Oh, absolutely. My faith is very important to me. For me, it's a great way to show God how thankful I am for all the blessings he's given me."

There's been a lot of changes in Orlando, with the arrival of Vince Carter and the departure of Hedo Turkoglu. I asked Howard how the team was adjusting to the new chemistry. "You know, we're just excited. There's different people around, but mostly it's a new season, it's a time for new beginnings, and we're just excited and ready to go out there and compete."

No doubt Howard will be doing it with a smile on his face.