Orlando Magic: 5 players who’ve got next for the Basketball Hall of Fame

Orlando Magic: Next up for the Hall of Fame

Dwight Howard

Hall of Fame Probability: 99.7%

Dwight Howard has taken over Vince Carter in the great Hall of Fame debate (OK, maybe it is Derrick Rose, but Ross does not engender the same visceral reaction as Howard does in many circles).

And like Carter, there should be no doubt that Howard will get his day in Springfield. The question will be whether Orlando Magic fans, the team where Howard cemented his Hall of Fame status, will accept him by then.

There is still a little time for Howard, who is still active having signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for a third tour of duty with them this offseason.

It is easy to forget, with how much Howard has deteriorated since leaving Orlando, Howard was an absolute force with the Magic. He led the league in rebounds per game for four seasons while with the Magic, adding six All-Star appearances and three Defensive Player of the Year Awards.

In his eight seasons with the Magic, he averaged 18.4 points per game, 13.0 rebounds per game and 2.2 blocks per game. That somehow does not do Howard’s work justice when he was with the Magic.

Dwight Howard might well be the best player in the franchise’s history — there is at least some debate between him and Shaquille O’Neal, a player whom Howard was constantly trying to upstage with the shadow he cast on the franchise. That will be a discussion for another day.

But what should be clear is Howard was one of the most dominant forces in the league for an extended period of time. From 2008-2012, his mere presence on the court turned your team into one of the top defensive units in the league. He was enough to make you a title contender, even if the Magic could not build that team around him after falling apart in 2010.

So again, the question is not whether Howard will make the Hall of Fame, it is when. And that when will be five years after Howard finally hangs it up.