Sixers legend Dwight Howard part of 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame class

Dwight Howard, who spent one glorious season with the Sixers, was named a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2025.

If there’s one thing this blog knows how to do, it’s relitigate the 2021 Eastern Conference semi-finals.

The 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame class has been finalized — and with it one tenuous connection to the Sixers.

Dwight Howard, who spent one season in Philadelphia as Joel Embiid’s backup at the tail end of his career, will be named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Billy Donovan, Danny Crawford, Micky Arison and the 2008 U.S. Olympics men’s team will be inducted with him this year.

Howard was obviously in a much different place in his career by the time he was a Sixer. He rejuvenated his career the year before as a backup for Anthony Davis, and ended up winning a championship with the Lakers in the bubble.

Playing 17 minutes a game, he averaged 7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game in a COVID-shortened season. As a Sixer though, he’ll likely be remembered for Doc Rivers’ insistence on playing him in the playoffs despite being a -34.

As was the team’s tradition during a season where fans were not allowed in the arena, he is one of the few players to have the honor of ringing the bell pregame.

Most well-adjusted people though will remember Howard best for his eight years with the Orlando Magic. In that time he racked up three Defensive Player of the Year awards, a Finals appearance, five All-NBA appearances and five top-10 finishes in MVP voting.

When he took his Magic to the Finals in 2009, it was the Sixers they ran into in the first round. Howard averaged 24 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in the first five games of that series. He ended up being suspended for Game 6, but the Magic were able to close the Sixers out anyway.

Despite an ugly ending to the season, he seemed to really enjoy his time in Philadelphia. In his parting Instagram post, he was even still trying to mend some fences, giving some free throw form advice to Ben Simmons. If anything, it was a good reminder that the Hawks series wasn’t Howard’s fault.