ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwight Howard will need no arm-twisting to convince him to return as the starting center on the USA Basketball team that will play in London at the Olympics in 2012, or even the one that will compete in 2016, wherever in the world those Games might be.
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| Dwight Howard couldn't contain his emotions after winning gold in Beijing. (Getty Images) |
"You can put my name down. If they want me, I'll play again and again, until the wheels fall off," the 22-year-old Orlando Magic center said Sunday afternoon. "It was just such an unbelievable experience, the greatest thing ever, that you want to go back."
A week after he returned home as an Olympic champion, Howard still hasn't let the gold medal out of his sight -- unless being in his front pants pocket is considered out of sight. He spent much of this weekend working at his youth basketball camp in Orlando, proudly pulling out his medal time and again, letting people touch it, see it, share it.
Like many of his Olympic teammates, Howard has embarked on a whirlwind tour since returning to the States, but unlike the others, he hasn't put down the medal yet. He was in Los Angeles last week filming a commercial for McDonald's. He spent the Labor Day weekend at his camp in Orlando. He will make stops in Chicago, New York and Atlanta before returning to Orlando next week to begin preparations for the 2008-09 NBA season.
The only constant during all the stops will be one medal and the beaming smile it produces.
"I'll carry the gold medal into our season. It's a standard for what I want out of our team now. It's the gold standard," he said proudly. "My goal for the Magic is the same -- win a gold. Oops, I mean a championship. If that's not the goal, then why are you playing?"
Howard spent the 2007-08 NBA season leading the Magic to their best finish in 12 years, 52 victories and a first-round playoff series win. A second-round loss to Detroit made him irritable for much of the summer -- until his Olympic journey began.
He didn't star on this Olympic team, but he excelled just fine. He started all eight games in China for the Redeem Team and averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in just 16.1 minutes. He didn't shoot very often, but he shot incredibly well (74.5 percent from the field), turning his focus to defense around the basket.
"On the Olympic team, I had a simple role, and at times it was a little difficult to accept, but I know that the sign of a good leader is that he is willing to serve," Howard said. "And I did a good job of doing my role, contributing what was needed. The ability to adapt to any situation is something I learned."
Howard blossomed into a star last season, making his first All-Star start for the Eastern Conference. He won the Slam Dunk competition. He was named first-team All-NBA for the first time. He averaged 20.7 points and a league-leading 14.2 rebounds.
He expects his next season to be even better. His offensive game still needs considerable refining, which probably could have been done better this summer by staying home in the gym, but that would have meant missing the highlight of his basketball life.
He is unlikely to return now with a suddenly consistent 12-foot jumper, or some new offensive post moves, but instead he will return with a better understanding of the sacrifices that it takes to be a champion.
"It will give him an understanding of what the other guys on his team are going through," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.
Although it didn't show during the Games in Beijing, Howard said he did spend considerable practice time working on his moves beyond the defense and rebounding in which he excelled. Just seeing how bigger stars like Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James all tailored their games for the good of the team left quite an impression.
After losing its place atop the basketball world at the 2004 Olympics, when it managed only a bronze medal, Team USA accomplished its mission, winning eight games by a 28-point average and doing it with class and style. Howard was a big part of that accomplishment.
"For everyone on that team, it wasn't about trying to be the head of the show. Doing it the way we did made it so much sweeter in winning the gold," he said. "It became a very emotional time for me. I've never cried in my life about anything. And I cried after winning the gold. It's something I'll never forget."
