Dwight Howard Quotes

Growing up, I played about every sport imaginable except soccer and hockey. I've always had a passion for basketball. I remember actually playing basketball when I was two or three years old. The time I knew that I could really take my game to the next level.

I'm not a nest-egg person.

Nobody thought that I was going to make it to the NBA. I only had a couple of believers growing up.

Are you gonna be tough, or are you going to be tough?

My job is to be the best teammate I can be, push these guys to the limit every day, make sure that I'm being the right type of leader.

I didn't need to meet with other teams. I didn't care about what offers were on the table. I wanted to be in Atlanta. I wanted to represent for this team.

Sometimes things don't work like they should.

The only way to shut people up is just by winning and just playing basketball.

My purpose in life, my goal for the NBA is to preach God's word - not just try to beat everybody over the head with a Bible but just being a good example and always conducting myself in a Christian-like manner.

You don't have to be best friends as basketball players but I do believe in chemistry. I think it makes everything different if a team is really together and they're all on that same page. They might not like each other, per se, but if you're on the same page and the chemistry is there, you can play great basketball. You can go back to teams like Detroit, the Bad Boys. Those guys had great chemistry, that's why they won.

I just want to show Atalanta who I really am and show my teammates what kind of teammate I am.

The hardest thing to do is to trust people.

A lot of times when I'm in the gym, I might not have that energy but I realize what I'm doing it for and it gives me the strength to do one more extra rep, to do one more set or to push even harder, and to not let whatever obstacle is in front of me stop me from reaching my goal.

Everybody needs to realize that it doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are, you still can be a Christian and live for God. It's not easy but that's why we have God's word and He forgives us when we do something we shouldn't be doing. You know, God sent His son to die for us and He paid that sacrifice so you can go to Heaven.

When I'm anywhere, I'm going to show God that I'm thankful just for life. I'm living out my dream. This is what I want to do.

I'm a fun person to be around, laid back, love to have fun.

My team in Orlando was a team full of people who nobody wanted, and I was the leader and I led that team with a smile on my face.

As far juicing goes, I've done it for a couple of years; it's very good to cleanse the body. Doing the smoothies and getting the fruits and veggies in there just gives you more energy. You'll feel quite different after a couple weeks of doing it. Be consistent with it and you'll see it really makes a difference.

That's one thing I pride myself on is working hard in the weight room, working hard in practice, trying to become a better player.

Basketball has brought me a lot of joy, brought me a lot of good things. Just that side of it has really affected me.

People say you don't need a father to be successful. I take offense to that.

I want to be held accountable. I want my teammates and my coaches to push me to be the best that I can be.

I want to make sure I'm fly. Nothing too baggy, something that fits right. I just like that feeling when you go out in public and everyone's like "Wow, that's an awesome outfit."

I try not to have a lot of sugar in my system. If I have sugar for breakfast, whether that be fruit or some pancakes or French toast, they'll make sure all of the meals for the rest of the day have no sugar in them. I try to take the sugar out of my diet.

Today is a new day. Even if you were wrong yesterday, you can get it right today.

I didn't try to cry my way out of Orlando. That was never my intention, or not what I did at all. And I understand everybody thought it was that way because of what was being put out there.

God says, Turn the other cheek. So there's no way I could play in a man's game.

You really can't please people. I know everybody's attention is on what I'm doing on the floor.

I know you can't please everybody; you can't make everybody happy, but just getting that perception that I don't care about basketball and what it brings is a lie.

I hated that perception that I didn't work hard, that I really don't love basketball.

I was supposed to be in the NBA. I was supposed to travel the world and make the world a better place.

But at the end of the day, every star, every person that been iconic, has gone through a time in their lives where it was just bad. Everybody. It just made them better.

Always look at what your goal is. Understand that there are going to be days when you feel like crap. There are going to be days where you feel like "I don't want to do this" but you've got to understand what you're doing it for.

Playing 13 years is a long time, but I feel really good. It's not like I'm [old]. I'm just thankful.

People say you don't need a father to be successful. I take offense to that. I had an argument with my mom about Father's Day and why it's not celebrated like Mother's Day.

I work extremely hard in the weight room, and also on the court to get better and make sure I keep my body in shape.

In Orlando, I handled a lot of stuff the wrong way.

That's my job, to motivate people. I can do more, show people more things. That's really why I play basketball. That's my whole purpose of playing basketball.

The hardest thing to do is to trust people. Even if you know them from way back when, it's hard to trust people. There's a lot we have to deal with, and it's the price of fame.

You go from high school, to the NBA, and you're thrown in the fire.

I'll joke all day, but once I get in the gym, I'm going to work hard.

When I'm smiling, I'm supposedly not taking the game seriously. When I'm not smiling, then it's like, "He don't care. He's just out there."

I would never, ever desert my child. A lot of my friends didn't have fathers growing up, and they were very upset that their fathers weren't around. I was lucky to have mine around.

I've always played 'NBA Live' since I was a kid, so to be on the cover is a blessing.

You always have to keep up with the trends. The biggest thing is making your own trend and making your own stamp in the fashion industry. Whatever is going to be your style, make that your style and go from there.

The biggest thing is always being around people that are going to lift you up and not bring you down. That's why I prayed for God to send me some good friends. He's done that. I don't really have a lot of friends, but the friends I do have are great.

When I'm smiling and having fun, that's when you should have a problem. If I'm out there frowning and looking mean, that's when you know you've beat me - because I'm not having fun. I've been playing basketball since I was three. Everybody since I was three tried to tell me to stop smiling. Even my dad. My dad apologized to me when I was ten.

I know who I am and what kind of teammate I've always been.