Dwight Howard is awe-inspiring to say the least. During an NBA game on television, there is not much to distinguish the players as they all appear to be of similar height.
But when you see the six-foot, 11-inch center position player of Orlando Magic in flesh and blood, you are bound to say, “Wow! That is what an NBA player looks like.”
People gathered at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium were surely excited by his skills when Howard went about giving some tips to the Indian men’s team.
In the evening, he visited a global sports brand store to launch NBA merchandise and the crowd outside store went ballistic calling out ‘Superman, Superman’, as he is known.
The number of youngsters began to swell and it took a couple of policemen to keep them in check. They went into raptures when Howard acknowledged them.
“It has been a dream of mine to come to India. I am very excited,” he said. “I want to see tigers.”
Howard and the NBA team are in India to give some basketball tips to Indian players and conduct the Mahindra NBA Challenge clinics. “I plan to have a lot of fun in the next few days teaching, motivating and helping the Indian players.” They will also travel to Delhi.
Howard had good things to say about the Indian players. “I see that basketball can become big in India,” he said adding, “I see it becoming number one.”
“We are committed to make NBA popular, preferably the top game in India in the future. But all sports have to grow and it takes time.”
He said that the Indian players have talent and it requires dedication and the right approach to get the desired results.
“I saw that the players have immense potential. More coaching clinics are needed and more tournaments like the Mahindra NBA league will help,” he said.
“I am an ambassador for NBA and it is important to get involved to make it a global sport. I want to help basketball and take it from where it is to a higher level.”
Playing a sport to win medals and trophies or to earn a living are things most people do but Howard also has a message.
“Playing basketball teaches a lot about life. I have been playing basketball from when I was three. I love the game.”
The star says he has tried his hand at various disciplines including football, table tennis, tennis, golf, baseball and even chess. But it was basketball that he took up. He got drafted into the Orlando Magic team (in 2004) and has been with them ever since.
He has so far won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award for the last two years and plans to add more to it.
“A third Defensive Player of the Year title is possible. I work extremely hard and try to be the best guy on the floor. You need not score 50 points to be called a good player. You can block well, be dominant on the court and be called a good player,” he explained.
Howard said that basketball here will get the much needed boost if an Indian will make it to the league in the US.
“Five or six years ago, basketball was not so big in China. But after Yao Ming began to play in the NBA, it began to grow,” he said. “In India, we need to get NBA players with personality to promote the sport,” he said.
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