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June 1, 2009 -- Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985), nicknamed "Superman", is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career.

He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA Draft. He was selected first overall by the Magic, and has since emerged as one of the top rebounders and players in the NBA. A three-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA team selection, two-time All-Defensive member, and the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, Howard has been ranked consistently as one of the best in the league in field goal percentage and set numerous league records.

The 2008–09 campaign began well for Howard. Ten games into the season, the center was leading the league in blocks per game (4.2) and even recorded his first triple-double: 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks. At the halfway point of the season, Howard was leading the league in rebounds and blocks, and was among the league leaders in field goal percentage. He garnered a record 3.1 million votes to earn the starting berth on the Eastern Conference team for the 2009 NBA All-Star game. On 25 March 2009, Howard led Orlando to its second straight Southeast Division title with 11 games of the regular season left to play, and eventually the third seed for the 2009 NBA Playoffs with a 59–23 record. On 21 April 2009, he became the youngest player ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, achieving a goal he had set for himself before the start of the season. The Magic went into the playoffs without its injured starting point guard Jameer Nelson, and in the first round against the 76ers, Howard recorded 24 points and 24 rebounds in Game 5 to give Orlando a 3–2 lead, before the Magic closed out the series in six games. On 6 May 2009, the center was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and a week later, to the All-NBA First Team. In the second round of the playoffs against the defending champions Boston, the Magic blew a lead in Game 5 and Howard publicly questioned coach Stan Van Gundy's tactics and said that he should be given the ball more; in Game 6, the center posted 23 points and 22 rebounds to force the series into seven games. The Magic went on to defeat Boston, and then defeated Cleveland—which was led by league MVP Lebron James—4–2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Howard had 40 points and 14 rebounds in the deciding Game 6, leading Orlando to its first NBA Finals in 14 years.

Special Thanks to: ESPN for the images used for this article. PSEP is an accredited media source / affiliate of ESPN.