Dwight Howard’s recovery season will continue where his NBA career began.
The Los Angeles Lakers center appeared as a guest on “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon” on Monday and said to the host, “Yes, I will join my team in Orlando,” after there was some uncertainty about his status for the reboot of the league at the end of the month.
Howard said he will donate the rest of his salary for the 2019-20 season, approximately $ 700,000, according to ESPN NBA office expert Bobby Marks, to his Breathe Again charitable initiative.
“I have a contractual obligation to my teammates, my fans, the Lakers, the organization and everyone, but at the same time, I also have an obligation to my family and my community,” said Howard. “We will do a lot of work here in Atlanta and across the country to make sure that people don’t forget about us and what happens in our communities.”
Howard, who started Breathe Again through his D12 Foundation in 2015, said he is restarting the campaign.
In a letter posted to the Breathe Again website, which is currently out of order, after its launch, Howard wrote: “My sadness has deepened as I see people stand firmly on one side or the other, generally by race We need a new perspective, a new life We need to breathe again Oxygen represents life We need to fill our bodies with new life It’s time for us to look at past color, zip codes, problems and see the causes . and solutions “.
Howard conducted the interview with Lemon from his Georgia home, where he has been satisfying NBA quarantine and the required testing protocol of all players who will participate in Orlando, a league source told ESPN last week.
The 34-year-old big man has been caring for his 6-year-old son, David, during the break, along with other family members. David’s mother, Melissa Ríos, died of an epileptic seizure on March 27 at her home in Calabasas, California.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters last week that the team was working with Howard; his agent, Charles Briscoe; the National Association of Basketball Players; and the league to navigate the veteran center’s “mitigating circumstances” and find a solution for him to join the team in Florida.
Howard, in his sixteenth season after being selected as No. 1 by the Orlando Magic in 2004, averaged 7.5 points on the best 73.2% shooting along with 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks and appeared in all but one of the Los games. Angeles before the season was suspended. in March.
Howard released a statement to CNN via Briscoe last month that initially led the Lakers to believe he could opt for the rest of the season.
“What better time than now for us to focus on our families? This is a rare opportunity that I think we as a community should make the most of,” the statement said, in part. “When have we had so much time to sit down and be with our families? This is where our unit begins. At home! With the family!”
Howard also participated in calls led by teammate Avery Bradley, as well as Kyrie Irving, which were organized to provide players with an outlet to share concerns and dissenting opinions on the league’s restart plans, including the need to focus on racial inequality and systemic inequalities in this country, to try to shape the NBA approach
“During my time in the bubble, I will use that time to talk about Breathe Again, and I will use my salary, all the money, the paychecks that I will get by falling into the bubble. To help fuel this breathing again [initiative], drive our movement and just make sure that people don’t forget what is happening in our society, “Howard told CNN.
The Lakers are slated to fly as a team from Los Angeles to Orlando on Thursday to restart their championship quest at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
“I feel like we have a great opportunity, the Lakers, to win a title this year,” said Howard.
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