Dwight Howard calls his new teammate Chandler Parsons, "Timberlake" — as in Justin Timberlake — which Parsons admits would bug him coming from anyone other than the best center in the world. Howard dubs his new coach Kevin McHale "Old School," leaving McHale both smiling and shaking his head like a principal from a 1980s movie comedy.
Heck, the Houston Rockets' new franchise center even has the nickname down for former Rockets great/TV fashion plate Calvin Murphy, slipping in a "Little Man" to the utter delight of Murphy, who finds himself squeezed into the front row alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, Yao Ming, Ralph Sampson and Elvin Hayes.
Dwight Howard most wanted to be happy and comfortable in his new NBA life? Mission accomplished and then some on day one.
"I'm not going to sit up here and say we're going to win five championships. I'm not going to do that."
For Howard to look any more relaxed in his long-anticipated Rockets introduction, he'd need to stroll out in flip flops and shorts. Instead Howard wears a sharp, slim-cut gray suit — and no even seems to mind the near Lakers purple tie.
On this July Houston Saturday, thousands of people show up outside of the Toyota Center to welcome Howard. They stand out in the 100-degree-plus heat, watch from the upper levels of the parking garage (including one guy who dangles a vintage 34 Olajuwon throwback jersey from the very top level) and cheer Howard's rather humble words.
If the fans yearn for something of a Miami Heat Big Three Moment — LeBron James' "Not One, Not Two, Not Three, Not Four, Not Five . . ." championship roll call — they'll leave disappointed. When the rally breaks into a rather tame, "Beat the Heat! Beat the Heat!" chant, Howard simply shoots back, "Yeah, it's hot outside."
Dwight Howard's Own Path
Bold proclamations just aren't Dwight Howard's style.
He makes that clear in the media session held on a corner of the Toyota Center floor before the rally.
"I'm not going to sit up here and say we're going to win five championships," Howard says firmly. "I'm not going to do that."
Considering Hakeem, the most skilled big man ever, sitting in the front row, only won two, this is probably a wise decision on Howard's part. Besides, this isn't Miami or LA. It's Houston. And in Houston, people value those who do rather than those who brag.
Though the New Yorker in Rockets owner Leslie Alexander cannot help but come out a little bit.
"Dwight is a great player," Alexander says. "I don't think people realize how great he really is."
Houston is guaranteed at least three years to find out with Howard's new four-year, $88 million deal possessing an opt-out clause after the 2015-16 season. For really the first time in his basketball life, Dwight Howard has embraced making his own decisions about his future.
"I'm here now," Howard says. "It's a a fresh start. I can write my own history here.
"I'm looking forward to doing it with Timberlake."
It's a history that will include plenty of back-slapping and lighthearted jokes. All the Rockets big man greats show up for Howard, which Alexander credits to the organization being "more like a college team than a pro team." Even super lawyer Rusty Hardin, the longtime Rockets front row regular, is lingering in the back for Howard's first press conference.
It's Houston. And in Houston, people value those who do rather than those who brag.
And what really seems to excite Howard about this whole journey? Well, his face lights up at the mention of a certain side project.
"We've already been talking about doing a music video," Howard says of Parsons, James Harden and reserve guard Patrick Beverley. "We've got Montel (Williams, who Howard considers himself), Timberlake (Parsons), Rick Ross (Harden) and Trinidad James (Beverley). "
Hey, Dwight Howard is a 27-year-old big kid and he's not going to hide that personality anymore. There is no Kobe Bryant scowling at him now.
He's certain he can have fun, make videos and win big too. Rather quietly watching on the side with Howard's mother, his sister and his brother, Dwight Howard Sr. likes what he is hearing. And it's clear that wasn't close to the case in Los Angeles from the very beginning.
"We had a family discussion during the Christmas holidays," the deeply-religious Howard Sr. says to a few reporters still inside the Toyota Center once the rally begins. "I asked everybody to give me one word that they wanted to pray for and (Dwight) said, 'Peace.'
"And he was at peace on that stage today."
Happy? And then some. Yes, this sure beats LA.
Rockets fans endured 95 degree weather to welcome Dwight Howard and he showed the love by snapping a picture.
