NBA Highlight [VIDEO]- Dwight Howard Fights Marc Gasol To Defend Smaller Teammate; Shows His Heart Is With Houston
Dwight Howard is the newest member of the Houston Rockets but even in the pre-season, he shows his heart is already in the right place.
Howard has been criticized for being passive, and not taking full advantage of his physical gifts. He is probably one of the strongest and most imposing physical presences in the NBA.
Despite his immense physical skill, the knock is that he doesn't play with 'heart.' He has also been criticized for bailing on his team and slacking through games. For the past two summers, he was on the receiving end of a barrage of accusations and hate reactions from the media and the social networks.
This is because Dwight Howard seemingly abandoned the team that drafted him, the Orlando Magic. He has demanded a trade and even got their coach fired. Yet, after the Magic handed everything to him on a silver platter, he publicly demanded a trade and threatened not to sign a contract extension.
The Magic traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers, perhaps the most popular team in the world. He got to team up with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, among others, on what was thought to be a juggernaut team.
But chemistry issues and injuries turned that season into one of the biggest disappointments in league history. He also refused to sign a contract extension and as many as five teams were pursuing him, including the Lakers themselves. He chose to move to Houston. Now he has the ire of two NBA fansbases.
In the video, Houston is playing a pre-season game against Western Conference rival Memphis Grizzlies. He is guarding Marc Gasol, last year's Defensive Player of the Year. After getting frustrated, Gasol shoves Rockets guard Patrick Beverley right in front of Howard.
Howard reacts to the bullying and shoves Gasol, but just like a typical NBA fight, no punches were thrown, just shoving and some beef.
We seem to forget this is just the pre-season! There's so much intensity. We can't wait till the actual season starts!