Dwight Howard has begun to celebrate his basketball career. And so it makes sense he starts with a baseball analogy.
Life is like baseball, he said. You start at home, and life takes you on a journey around the bases. But ultimately, you end up sliding headfirst back into home. Or you hope to be sliding into that embrace at home.
It was hard for Howard to dance around every bit of his legacy as he reflected on his career upon his induction into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame on Monday. He had to acknowledge that things were not always great, that there were things he wished he had done differently and things he wished he had said instead of staying silent on. He had to acknowledge it all.
But ultimately, he had to acknowledge something else too. He may have left Orlando, but Orlando never left him. Howard was coming home.
And all that was left was gratitude for the place of his greatest triumphs and the place where he grew up.
"There are not enough days in my life to express how grateful I am for my experiences here in Orlando," Howard said after his Hall of Fame induction. "Even the bad ones. I'm grateful for all the bad memories people have. It taught me so much how to handle situations. How to deal with it and grow tougher skin. I really think about the whole thing. All these things you learn from these lessons. I'm just grateful I have the ability to go through these lessons."
Howard's story has all the twists and turns, triumphs and frustrations that stars around the league receive.
Arrival and success
Dwight Howard arrived at his new home as a scrawny 18-year-old who nobody was sure was the right pick to lead the franchise. He grew into a dominant force named to five All-NBA first teams and three straight seasons as the Defensive Player of the Year.
He guided the Orlando Magic to their longest sustained period of success, reaching the playoffs for seven straight years, advancing out of the first round for three straight seasons.
He led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009 in one of the most unexpected runs to the Finals in modern history—dispatching the defending champion Boston Celtics in seven games with a road victory in Game 7 and then defeating the heir apparent in LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers before falling in five games to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
This was as close as the Magic have ever gotten to winning a championship. And it is a season that no Magic fan will ever forget.
He left Orlando as the franchise's all-time leader in scoring, rebounds, blocks, rebounds per game, rebound percentage, defensive rating, defensive win shares, win shares, value over replacement player and rebounds per 36 minutes.
There is no telling the Orlando Magic's story without a healthy heaping of Howard.
And Howard's return for his Hall of Fame induction was a recognition of what the city and this franchise meant to him.
"I think it means that he cherishes his time that he was with us," Magic CEO Alex Martins said. "Players are young when they are playing in the NBA. They don't recognize at the time the impact that a coach has on them. Or the impact that the franchise has on them. But then they look back on their career and see the many places they have been and the experiences that they had, they know the places that meant the most to them. Clearly, of all the places Dwight has played, this organization, this city meant more to him than any place in his career. We look fondly on his time as well."
Howard's time in Orlando was truly something worthy of the team's hall of fame. Howard is on the team's Mt. Rushmore. With the Magic retiring jerseys, it seems logical that Howard's No. 12 will one day be in the rafters.
As Howard prepares for his likely induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this fall (the official nominees will be announced at the Final Four next week), the Magic will have their first hall of famer based on his play with their young franchise.
A broken legacy
But there was still undoubtedly a divide.
Dwight Howard's bitter exit during the lockout-shortened 2012 season and the drama that followed left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth.
Howard, it seemed, turned his back on a community that he helped reignite a love for their first professional team. The promises and indecision turned many people off. There are still hard feelings even after so many years.
It was the elephant still in the room, even as Dwight Howard embraced Alex Martins and the large contingent from the DeVos family in attendance to celebrate one of the franchise's all-time great players.
Howard had to acknowledge the moment's awkwardness and how things ended in Orlando. It still hangs in the air. It is part of his story as much as his triumphs.
But it does not outweigh the good he brought to the franchise and the city. Time should dull the sharp edges and leave only the positive memories.
He has been a lot more introspective about his career as he receives these career accolades. He used his speech to those in attendance to thank all the people within the franchise who taught him how to be an NBA player. He thanked former coaches like Brian Hill and Stan Van Gundy for pushing him to be his best, even if he did not understand it at the time.
That only endears this time and the team's success to him more.
Martins said in the long scope of sports, no exit is clean. Everyone is so focused on winning and doing what is best for their individual careers, that sometimes emotions and hurt along the way.
Back home again
Perspective has a way of bringing everything home.
When someone like Dwight Howard looks back on his career, he may understand why it was time for him to leave. He understands he was not patient. He wanted to do other things in his life at that time.
But it does not change his feelings about returning home.
"People here accepted me for who I was," Howard said after his Hall of Fame ceremony. "[They] loved me through my mistakes, loved me through good times and bad times. We all grew together. It would be a lie to say I didn't think about it every day. I'm just grateful over time I was able to learn from all my experiences, which allows me to be more grateful and have more gratitude for a lot of the things that have transpired over the years. This place has been my home."
Howard grew up in Orlando. He had his best times in Orlando. It was always going to hold a special place for him. It will always be his home.
The question is always whether you can go back home again.
In the long journey of life and Howard's long basketball career, there are always those winding roads. Everything waxes and wans.
But as everyone reflects on their life and their accomplishments, they always come home. They always know the places that mean the most to them.
They always know the people that mean the most to them.
Howard has had a winding road in his career. But Orlando was always going to be his basketball home. It was only a matter of time before he returned and gained the recognition and adoration his career deserved.