Orlando Magic fans made it pretty clear how they felt about the return of Dwight Howard. The Los Angeles Lakers center made his first trip back to Orlando since being traded and was not exactly welcomed with open arms. Fans greeted Howard with loud boos during player introductions and a large number of mocking signs and t-shirts were seen throughout the crowd. Despite the worst reception of his career, he turned out one of the best performances of the season.
Howard's return to Orlando was highly anticipated after a drama-filled offseason. Howard became the butt of the media after flip-flopping on his future with the Magic, the team that made him a star player. After originally saying he planned on staying with the Magic, Howard turned around and was the center of a marquee trade that now has him playing with the Lakers. Fans were not exactly pleased with the way Howard left things.
Howard was sent to the free-throw line 39 times on Tuesday, tying his own free-throw attempt record, each time being greeted with a chorus of boos by the fans. Despite the tense environment, Howard said he was not nervous to step back into his old home arena.
"I wasn't nervous tonight. I was looking forward to playing here. It was a hostile environment, but I think that was something that was good for me. For my progress as a player, I think I needed that tonight," Howard said.
Howard was the center off a drama-filled week due to commenst he made about his former team. Howard claimed the Magic were a team of players that nobody wanted. These comments were taken as negativity by former teammates like Jameer Nelson. Despite the tension between the two, they came together after the buzzer and shook hands.
"Everybody's always going to say certain things in order to start certain situations. But Jameer's my brother. We came in together, and I have no bad feelings toward him," Howard said after the game.
Despite all of the drama surrounding Howard's return, he was still able to pull off one of the best games of his season. Howard scored a season-high 39 points with 16 rebounds as the Lakers won 106-97. He went 25-39 from the free-throw line. Howard believes this game was good for him and will help both sides move on.