In a lengthy message to his fans on social media, eight-time NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer Dwight Howard announced he has officially retired from basketball. His last NBA stint was in 2021-22 with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he won his championship with the team in 2020 and later played professionally in Taiwan.
At the age of 40, he officially announced that it was time to hang up his Superman cape for good and end his legendary 20-year professional basketball career.
Dwight Howard Officially Announces Retirement From Basketball
Howard has had an incredible career. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Slam Dunk champion, and eight-time All-Star was perhaps best known as the star center of the Orlando Magic, where he spent eight seasons.
Howard wrote on his X account to announce his retirement and hang up his cape.
“I’m taking off the cape and retiring from all basketball to pour into my family and give back to communities worldwide,” Howard wrote. He also answered those who thought he had already retired because he hadn’t been in the league since his last stint as a Laker.
He continued, “I know some of you might think, I thought he already ‘retired,’ but I didn’t…the game retired me!”
Woke up today on the 12th of this month and I figured it’s time to move on from Superman! Im no super human… I cry ! I struggle! I feel like everyone else. Through the lies, the media and the hate I still show love and Smile Through The Storm.
But now Im taking off the cape and… pic.twitter.com/SyZQAcAeLq — Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) March 12, 2026
In his retirement post, he covered all bases, thanking his supporters and, interestingly, those who doubted him:
“Thank you to all my fans and supporters throughout this journey. I love and appreciate y’all dearly…also thank you to the naysayers, the haters, the snakes, and the people who came into my life to destroy me. Because every time y’all did…it only made me stronger.”
In the next paragraph of his post, he announced that his documentary will air this year and will tell the world his story.
He also announced that, starting on the 12th day of each month, he will hold a retirement tour in different cities to give back to the fans who supported him. He called it “D12 Day,” where he will deliver random acts of kindness and give back to the community.
Howard retires as one of the greatest centers of his generation, undoubtedly one of the great rim defenders and rebounders of his era, and a force inside the paint. His athleticism was quite something to behold, as we saw in slam dunk contests, which gave birth to his Superman cape, as many will recall.
The story of basketball in the span of his career cannot be written without the huge influence of Howard.
