Lakers: Longtime LA Opponent Makes Hall Of Fame Case For Dwight Howard

This Hall of Famer believes the ex-Laker should be headed to Springfield soon.

Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson of Bovada Sports recently spoke with longtime Detroit Pistons great/Los Angeles Lakers irritant Ben Wallace about a variety of topics in a typically wide-ranging and insightful conversation.

Is Dwight Howard a Hall of Famer? @FearTheFro makes the case with @ScoopB 👀

Watch the full episode here ➡️ https://t.co/aDSGu843WA pic.twitter.com/pkV8O4wQrU

— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) February 16, 2023

For the purposes of this article, Wallace reflected on three-time Lakers center Dwight Howard, now with Taiwan's Taoyuan Leopards. Howard played for three very different LA teams, during three different stages of his career: first, he was still near his All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year peak alongside a star-studded, chemistry-free LA club with future Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash (though Nash was pretty cooked by this point). Next, he returned to serve as a key bench big for the 2019-20 championship-winning club top-lined by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

Finally, Howard may have played his final league minutes last year, on an absolutely abysmal 33-49 club hampered by injuries to its two best players and saddled with several vets who have yet to find a home in the NBA this season. All told, Howard was an eight-time All-Star (he's also an All-Star in Taiwan's T1 League this season), an eight-time All-NBA honoree, a five-time All-Defensive Teamer, and a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. His 2020 championship pedigree should seal the deal.

"Dwight Howard... for me, I'm going to say yes, but I think his game got a little off track once he got traded from Orlando, I don't think he recognized the dynamic of the trade, going from a team that you're the man of, going to another team where you've got to play somebody else's style of basketball [the 2012-13 Lakers]," Wallace said. "I thought when in Orlando, I thought he controlled the pace and tempo. He dictated the pace and tempo of the team. And [he] went to LA, he wasn't able to do that. But from what he did in Orlando, I think he should be in there." 

Wallace, whose Pistons appeared in two consecutive NBA Finals in 2004 and 2005, beating your Lakers in a five-game demolition in '04, is currently serving Detroit's basketball operations and team engagement advisor. He himself was a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, a four-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA inclusion, and a six-time All-Defensive Teamer. Wallace was named was named to the Hall of Fame in 2021.

Are you following us on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube yet? Join the conversation as we discuss the latest Lakers news and rumors with fans like you!