Dwight Howard
Appearances
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I am. What's the word? I am supercalifragilisticexpialidocious today. I'm so blessed and grateful and thankful and just happy that I'm alive, man.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
10 through high school, well, I had to keep my head out of the clouds because I was so locked in on going to the NBA. So what I had to do was center myself, stay grounded, and focus on the moment. Focusing on the moment, knowing that I already have – An end goal was what kept my high school times amazing. My end goal was to be in the NBA. So how I do everything in life is through my faith.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And through my faith, I know that I have to see the end before I start in the beginning. So I had to see the end of something. The end of my goal was to be in the NBA. So... Now, I had to go back to the beginning. What is going to be my steps to get to the NBA? I have to stay locked in in school. I'm going to be going to school for four years of high school, which means I can't get distracted.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I got to stay focused. I got to work out. I can't go out and party, do all the things that people in high school might do. I can't do that. I got to wake up at 4 o'clock. I got to get to the track, the gym. All these things were things that I planned out and prepared myself for before I even went to the NBA. So now when my name was called, one, it was an expectation.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Two, it was a knowing, not a belief. Those are two different things to me. It was annoying. I knew that I was going to heaven. I knew that I was going to the NBA. I knew that I was going to be the first pick in the draft. I just didn't kind of have this, I believe so, you know, I think. No, I know. The confidence. I know. Like, I know Jesus is real. I know what God did for my life.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
These things, it's a different mindset. The mindset of all people. Like, we have to go from this. Oh, I think so. I believe so. To no. I know. And once you have that I know mindset, anything in life is possible. I know I can do this. I know I can. I think I can. I know I can. That's my favorite book, The Little Engine That Could. That's all he said in the whole book. I know I can. I think I can.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I know I can. And that was my thought process from 10 to 18. I know I can. Every time I played against somebody, I know I can beat them. And that mindset just stuck with me even to this day.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Because I just had a deeper understanding of what basketball was, the purpose of basketball. The purpose of basketball was to bring me closer to Christ. I took that as, okay, if I'm going to work hard every day, my faith says I'm going to the NBA. My faith is I want to be the number one pick. My faith is I want to be the best player to play basketball.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
My work's got to match it, which means everything that I do with basket, the work has to match it mentally, physically, and spiritually. It has to match my faith. Now, these two things match. Anything is possible.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
in his name because that's what he said and then he also told us that greater works than this you will do and so jesus is telling me that and he's giving me this body his vessel and he's saying you could have all these gifts if you ask then I'm going to ask, and then I'm going to stay in the will of the Most High God. So all these things that I want to happen in my life happen.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
There's times when I fail. There's so many times where I didn't have my eyes on Jesus.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Chaos happens when you allow your desires to get the best of you. And when you are a professional athlete, you make it to the NBA, and you are then given millions of dollars. So in the process of getting millions of dollars, now you have access to the world.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Everything. And so you got to think, you said at 16 is when you were thinking that you had everything in the world, right? Think about two years later, being 18 years old, being in the NBA, coming from the smallest school in Georgia. I had 16 people in my classroom. Wow. Yes. Oh my God. 10 girls and six guys were in my classroom. I had 300 people in my school total.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
That is including the principals, the staff, the janitor, the babies, all the way up to 12th grade was my school. I went to the same school my whole life. So I went from this little bubble to to now thrown into the whole world and given millions of dollars. So at 18, I'm like, I can do anything. Who do I need to listen to?
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And this is where the devil, or I don't, people like to say the devil, and I call it my lower self. The lowest version of myself wants to entertain my desire. And, you know, sometimes we want to blame that on somebody else, but we have to look ourselves in the mirror and hold ourselves accountable. Why? Because all of us have to bear our own cross. Jesus died for all our sins.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
We are under, we're not under the law anymore. We are under his grace. Come on. But we still got to bear our own cross. So me at 18, I'm dealing with so much because what comes with money? Evil and good. But when you love money. That is the root of all evil. So me being around money, me being around people who might love money, it brought so much chaos and turmoil and just crazy around.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And I just had to decipher and figure out how to move. and there were times where I felt like Jesus was never there and he always would come in a situation whether it be good or bad say Dwight I would never leave you I don't remember that even when you're going through these trials that you're dealing with I am here but you have to figure out how to get through these trials and tribulations.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I have given you all the tools, talent, the mind, everything. But you, it is your choice. It's your will.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
It was so many people, um, you know, try to give me a lot of great advice. Um, When you're 18 and you're the head of a franchise and all these different things that people are saying you are, a lot of times people are afraid to tell you anything. Especially when you have a source of something that they would like, and that's money. And so it is very difficult in this world
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
to navigate if you are not centered in Christ. And Christ is a mindset. It is the highest mindset that someone could have. And when you said about feeling God, sometimes we kind of trick ourselves into thinking that he's not there when he's in us. He can never leave our vessels until we decide to go back home and he quickens our spirit. So he's always there. He's always there.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
It's just we have to choose to be in his will or his presence or not to be. But he will never leave us and forsake us. How do we know? Because Jesus said it in his word. He said, I must go expediently. I will. Comforter. And who was the comforter? The Holy Spirit. He will always be. That spirit is inside of all of us. So. We just have to. We have to continue this fight of faith. Yep.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And it is a tough faith walk when you say that you are a believer in Christ. For sure. Because the devil is out seeking to destroy our mind. Yep. And if Jesus... He's asking us to put on this helmet of salvation, Ephesians 6, and follow him. And that means we have to put on this mindset, this consciousness, in order to navigate through life. And the devil doesn't want that.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
But we can't get in unless we're quiet and we're still, we have so many distractions. This is why it's Instagram and social media and the TV and all these things have been created to distract us. Jesus, they call Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. So Nazarene was a place where anyone who wanted to become basically one with themselves, they had to go to Nazareth.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
They had to go to this place to basically get away from everyone, to hear the voice of God. And this is what Jesus did. It was like, why don't we as Christians, followers of Christ, Do exactly what Jesus did. Not saying we got to go to Nazareth, but step away. Get alone. Be away from the crowd.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
That's one thing as an NBA player that once I started doing more of it, my life just became a lot more peaceful. Getting alone. Why? Because that is how you can hear the voice of God. There's no other spirits or energies around you While you're in the presence of God. Yeah.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So, you know, that's the, that's one of the things that, you know, really has helped me out in my journey, getting alone, how I can hear when God says I need to do something. Yeah. Okay. This is God's voice. It's not the devil. It's not my own ego telling me to do this. And the way you can hear that is you've got to be alone so you can hear the voice of God. I remember the first time it happened.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
People thought I was crazy. I was asking God, what do you want me to do with my life? What is my purpose? And it was a Friday evening, probably around what time? We had a Bible study at 730. This had to be around 435 o'clock. I'm in the house by myself. And I'm like, God, what is it that you do with my life? Like, what purpose? Please tell me. So I heard a voice calling my name.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I just, nobody's in my house. I heard somebody say, Dwight. Loud as day, like I'm talking to you now. I hear Dwight. I don't know. So I hear it again. Dwight. So I go to the bathroom. And I'm like, in the bathroom, but I know I just heard something come out of here. Yeah. So I hear a fight. I want to preach my word. That is your purpose. Cool. So I get to church that night.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And while I'm in church, uh, we, uh, they take us to our little Bible study. So we have team ministry, team ministries for the teens. Yep. Adults stay in the main church. So I'm in the team ministry and, um, uh, the guy starts praying at the end of the whole session. He's praying and he says, anybody who, uh, right now has a bad stomach ache, please come forward.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And this thing, you know, my stomach is bubbling like really bad. I'm like, my stomach ain't hurt this whole time I was in here. Now my stomach is bubbling. I feel like I got to go let one out. It's crazy. And so I'm, and I'm like, man, I can't go up. I cannot go up. My stomach is hurting so bad.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So if anybody got any stomach aches right now, come up. Hmm. Ain't nobody had no stomach in there but me.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
How crazy is that? So I get up and I start. He's talking to me. And he says, Dwight, I want you to preach his word. After you had just heard it earlier. Yeah, at my house. Yeah. By myself. Yeah. So I'm like, hold up. Hold up. Let me make this connection. How would he know something that was told to me verbatim at my house on my own time? How would he know this? It had to be something out of me.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
that spoke. So I was like, man, this is serious. So that's when my journey was like, after that I was like, okay, I know what I gotta do. And I knew it was gonna be difficult. I first got to the NBA and said I wanted the cross to be on the logo. My target on my back, One, I had a target for being the number one pick.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And from coming from a smaller school in Georgia and all that stuff. But then saying that I am a believer in Christ, the target went from like that to my whole body became a target. It was a target of, we're going to try to destroy his testimony. Every chance we get, we're going to try to destroy his testimony. It was like, that's what I've been having to fight. Come on. And that's a tough fight.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
See, that's the thing. People think that if you are a Christian that you have to only preach and be a pastor in church, but there's more people who have gifts of the Spirit. See, God has given all of us different gifts of the Spirit, some to evangelize, some to use for healing, some to use for professing, some to use for teaching. Some people are supposed to be ministers.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Some people are supposed to be pastors. All these different things. A minister does not have to have his ministry in a church. Yep. He can minister anywhere. Why? Because the kingdom of God is within us. So when I speak, I am speaking who? God.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I'm speaking God. So now that means everything I say has to be life or death. Life or death is in the power of the tongue. Correct. So everything I say, I'm going to speak positive. Why? Because I want to speak life into everything.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
It wasn't distracted by money. It was distracted by any and everything that come with money.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
What did that kind of look like? I was getting both sides of it. You know what I'm saying? I was getting the side of, oh, Dwight, you're doing such an amazing job. But then I'm also getting the side of people seeing me mess up. Every one of my failures or mistakes or anything that I did in life, it just so-called happened to be put on TV. Put on the internet for everybody to see.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So now it's not my mistakes anymore that it just for me to deal with. Everybody in the world has to see my mistakes. So it's like, hey, and now they're thinking, oh, man, Dwight ain't everything he say he is because he did this. And that's what happened with pastors and preachers. If they mess up or do anything, people are now like, oh, man, he's supposed to be a man of God.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
He's supposed to be this, that, and the third. How could he do this? And it's like, hey, we are – Our vessels, too, we're trying to become this perfect, spiritually mature man. And I understand because of our Bible and the way people have said, hey, if you are a Christian or if you're a follower of Christ or a man of God... People put these expectations on you. You know what I'm saying?
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
But they're not understanding that you have to go through a period of elimination or a process of elimination to become that person. So you look at Job. People always talk about there's only one perfect person, and that's Jesus. The Bible says different.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
The Bible says that there was another perfect person, and Job was a perfect person, but it says Job was perfect and upright in all his ways, which means he was spiritually mature. Not a perfect man. He didn't sin. He didn't do this. So people think perfect means you're not going to mess up. He was righteous. He was spiritually mature. He had a deeper level of understanding.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Through his experiences. So from my experiences, the experiences that I've had is giving me a deeper level of understanding. So now when I talk to my children, when I'm talking to my friends, when I'm talking to family, when I'm talking to you or anybody around the world, I can say through my experiences, I've learned so much because experience is the best teacher.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
If I didn't go through these trials and tribulations, How can I come back and tell you anything?
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
The reason why we can look at Jesus is because he went through all temptation.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So now he's that example. Mm-hmm. I've been through so many experiences. My experiences have told me, hey, be right. This ain't good, my boy. I did it. I learned from it. This money that I got, use the money for what it's supposed to be used for. But do not fall in love with it. Because once you do, that's when the root of all types of evil comes.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Because it's already there because it comes with money. But now it's going to be with you because you done fell in love with the thing that you wasn't supposed to love. And then you have made that your idol. And God says you're not supposed to have what? No other guys before me. So since you've made that your idol, I'm going to take it away and take that away too and take that away.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Oh, that's your idol? Because God is a jealous God.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Oh. You putting that over me? Huh? All right. I'm going to show you. Yeah. So I'd always remember that.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
You're going to make mistakes. And, you know, the thing is, Jesus, when he went through his 40 days of temptation, you read the scriptures after that, it says that after that, Satan left for a season. It didn't say he left forever. It said he left for a season, and then Jesus was approached by wise counsel. So he left for a season just because he wanted to go. Let me go watch Jesus.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
See how he act now. Let me go watch his movements around these people. I'm going to find a way to get to him. And that's what the enemy does because just like he said in Job, when God asked him, where have you been? He said, oh, you know, I've been roaming to and fro the earth looking for somebody to devour because this spirit, been searching and searching for people to destroy.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And so we have to be very cautious of that. And money is a magnet to this spirit. And so that's why, you know, for me, I tell people all the time, don't be in love with money. Don't, don't love money. Understand it because it's a dollar and a million dollars. It take the same amount to make it. And we're over here fighting for something that costs the same.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
One dollar and a million dollars or two million dollars or three million dollars. It costs the same to make it. Yeah. So why are we making that something that should be talked about? We should just be gracious. One thing in this life, because that's the only thing that matters. I had a day. I had an opportunity to spend three days in a cave. Oh, like.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
When? I did this about two years ago now. Wait, you actually did it? Yes. It was three days. Three days, no light at all. I had a bed. I had a bathtub. I had a little area where I could sit. But for three days. It was dark. Pitch black. Three days and no light. No light at all.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
No light at all. I had to do this for three days. The food that we tasted, the food that, well, I say we like, I was in there with someone. But you can't go in there with anyone. You're there alone. So they bring you food. It's near Portland. It's in Oregon. They bring you food at night or you really can't tell when, but they bring the food and it's supposed to last all day.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So it's like a silent retreat? It's silent because you can't have no phones. You can't have nothing. You're just there. You can't do anything for three days. So I had a chance to really sit with myself, my emotions, my feelings, being able to understand, but also made me just really be grateful for sight. Grateful for life.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Because if we didn't have these bodies, that's what everything would look like. Pure darkness. And the reason that we can see now is because we have these vessels. So leaving that experience made me so much more grateful for the fact that I have been blessed to have a body. blessed to have a vessel so I could see this plane of existence.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
You know, so now I get a chance to experience God, experience consciousness in the flesh. Yeah. And so I'm just so thankful about that.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I'd be grateful for everything. It doesn't matter what it is. I'm grateful that I went through this moment where I stubbed my toe and I hurt my foot. I'm grateful that I had back surgery two times. I'm grateful that I tore my labrum. So I'm not just grateful for the good moments. I'm grateful for the bad ones too. Why? Because it's making me who I am.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
If you only love the people that love you, then... Who are you? You're supposed to love everyone, even the people that hate you. The same thing. So I'm always grateful. It doesn't matter what it is. If I had a bad game, oh, God, thank you for this game. You know what? We lost. It wasn't meant for us to win, but I learned so much out of this lesson. We didn't win the championship.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I didn't get what I wanted, what I wanted. But looking back on it, this experience helped me with so many other things. So it's all about how you – look at it, how you view it. I like that. So, you know, I don't try to view anything as something, I always keep it positive. Why? Yeah. That's my blood type. Be positive. It's nothing like, I can't even, I can't even be negative.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Like it's not even in me. I like that. I like that. So I'm always, you know, just this positive person.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Thanks for having me on the show, man. I remember when you reached out to me on the DMs, and you probably was like, oh, he's not going to respond. That's how I felt.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
A peak moment of suffering? Well, actually... The moments where I'm not suffering is that brings me closer. Those moments when I do suffer, I just have a realization that I'm going through this suffering because I'm asking for peace. So before you can get peace, you have to go through long suffering. Peace comes from struggle. So
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
You know, I've had so many situations of struggle that have brought me to peace. Like I said, the back surgery. I had two back surgeries. First time I had it, the doctor told me in Orlando I was going to never play again. This would be the last time I played basketball.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Just to go through that pain and struggle of having the back surgery, crying every day, trying to go out and play, that was a struggle. But it brought me closer and it separated me from everyone else so I was able to hear the voice of God. Then the second time I had my back surgery, I had lost 30 pounds in 30 days. I remember going up to, I was in Washington, D.C.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
at the time, playing for the Wizards. That year was one of my most painful seasons. And while I was going through this test that year, I felt like I didn't hear God because he put me through this test to see where my faith was. So I would go through this whole year. of being injured. My back was hurting so bad that season. I couldn't reach down to tie my shoe like this. I couldn't do this.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I couldn't put on my sock. The way I'm moving now, I couldn't do this. And I was still playing. I couldn't sit down in a chair for more than 15 seconds. I had to lay down on a plane. They had to bring me a blow-up bed to lay down on a plane because I couldn't sit on the chairs. I had to stand up the whole bus ride to every city that we came into once we got off the plane.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I had to stand up from the airport all the way to the hotel. I could not stand up. I mean, sit down at all. It was hurting so bad. When I ate food at home, I had to lay down and eat food. Yeah. It was crazy. I cried almost every day. I felt like I wanted to commit suicide. That's how bad my back was hurting. I literally did not want to live anymore because it hurt so bad just to even do anything.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
But I was still hooping. I was still playing my butt off. I get out there and play, get 25 points, 15 rebounds, and I only got one leg. So that taught me two things. If your body is hurting like this, sit your butt down. You ain't got nothing to prove to nobody. That was ego. My ego is saying, no, I got to prove to everyone. I got to do this. Why? Why? No. What did you need to do?
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Sit down, get yourself healthy. Why? Because I had something for you in L.A. the next season. Got a championship. That's what ended up happening. My faith started out in Washington. My back surgery came back in four months. Supposed to be out for a whole year. Came back in four months. Lost 30 pounds in 30 days.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
told the owner from Washington Wizards before he traded me, I said, listen, come back, fully healed, I'm gonna lose 30 pounds in 30 days and we're going to win a championship. He must have didn't believe it or see it like I did. But he traded me, when they traded me, I was hurt, very hurt. Sent me to Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis Grizzlies called.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
They told me that they didn't have no room for me on the roster. So I'm like, dang, no room on the roster? You guys just traded to get me on the team. This sucks. What did I do, God? Okay, I'm not going to blame you. I'm going to look in the mirror. What do I need to do? So that's what I did. Went home. Got into the gym. 30 days. Lost the weight. Right after that, Lakers want to meet with me.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I fly to L.A. Go on the court. My mindset was totally different. Why? Because I had got away from everything. God had to sit me down. Something had to happen in the spirit. then to my body for me to gain an understanding. See, everything that happens in spirit, the flesh happens in spirit first. So that spirit, what was happening to my spirit was, was,
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
injured i was hurt i was stressed i was going through all these things and it started to affect my body yeah and now i wanted to affect my body that's when i end up getting hurt yeah now i'm hurt can't do anything but sit down yeah and now during that process is when god was able to Hey, son, I'm always here. You're going to come back, but you got to believe it. Yeah. And that's what I did.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I came back that year. We won the championship for the Lakers. Come on. Greatest season. Greatest season ever. And that was the year we had the bubble. So much stuff going on. That was intense. It was very intense. Praise God. So grateful. That's for that.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
People are crazy. Like, I literally... So when I played in Taiwan, they gave me this big van to travel with so I wouldn't have a regular car or whatever. They gave me this big van and they had decked the van out. It had clouds in it, music everywhere. I'm like, oh, this is crazy. I can just chill and go to the games.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So I actually got on live during the playoffs where the people were trying to make the playoffs. And teams were just... They wasn't playing good at all. Everybody was just going. They was not doing anything. So my cousin who was in the car with me, he just kept naming players who was just sucking. They wasn't doing nothing. So I just kept saying, hey, come on. You got to come.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Hey, you come on to it. You ain't playing good. Come on.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Yeah, you can ride in the cloud car. Get your mind right. Because whatever you was doing in the league was not working. Yeah. I need you to come on. But man, we had so much fun with it. Every state that I went to after that, every country that I went to, people would just be coming up to me and they'd be like, come on. So we started to make that a thing.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
The one thing that, you know, I really, you know, people talk about this, the Kobe, the Mamba mentality. And for men around him, being around a lot of basketball, you know, everybody has their way of expressing their art. And in Kobe's version, he called it the Mamba mentality, this snake mentality. This fierce competitor that once it strikes, is deadly.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And so every player has a mentality that they play with. And the reason why Kobe was at the top because his mentality was different. And so his work ethic was different. What I would say was also different was his faith and his focus. See, talk about limiting distraction. It wasn't a distraction for him. That was his mentality. His focus. Singular focus was on his one goal, winning.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So nothing else mattered. You know what I'm saying? Everybody don't have that same attitude. Or they don't have that same, they don't call it the same thing. Everybody's trying to reach this one same goal. His mentality, his focus led him in a different way.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
It does because when you, just like they say, one bad apple can spoil a bunch, right? So if you have a team and you have somebody on the team who's going to everybody speaking negatively about, All those different things. That apple is going to, in turn, spoil the bunch. Because all it takes is one. So now when you have this positive attitude, and this positive attitude connects with every person.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Every person can get along with it. Now because they all have the same attitude, they could reach new heights. Who told us that first? Jesus. He said, whenever two or more gather in my name, there I am in the midst. See, I took that a different way.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
When I first heard that, I thought if I pass gas in church and four people was around, then Jesus was going to be there because he said, where two or more agree, there I am in the midst. So if I pass gas, I thought he was going to be in the midst of my gas. Yeah. So I was like, okay, I got to pass gas in church. So when I did pass gas in church, they had to evacuate the whole church.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
The only person that could stay in there was the pastor and me through the grace of God. See, me and him was able to withstand.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
The stench. The stench. And Jesus was in the mist.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
But seriously, I know that was a little jokey joke. It was a little jokey joke about Jesus being in the midst of my gas. Okay, don't take it. I don't want people going home and saying, why would Dwight say that about Jesus? That's what you thought about for a little bit. I did. Jesus had jokes. God had jokes. I used to say that when I was younger, before I dove deeper into reading in the Word.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
There were scriptures in the Bible where I felt like God was trying to tell jokes.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
It started there. Everything started there. My first eight years of my career, the Duck Contest, Superman. Yeah, that was legendary. Yeah, it started in Orlando. Obviously, I've had fun on all the teams I've been on, but Orlando is just special. The times that we've had going to the finals, which is very difficult to do with any sport, but to go there and have a city behind you.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I just remember being at the airport, pulling back up to the runway, and all the fans there clapping for us and supporting us through the series and got their flags. You could just feel the energy. So when I got out there on the court, it was like, Orlando, this is really for y'all. Like, I'm playing because I want y'all to win so bad. Like, this is why I'm doing this.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
You're going to use it. This is stupid. But, oh, okay. You done had two pairs of shoes for... Four years. You put holes in the bottom of it. You wore them things every day. You had one pair you wore for school, the other pair you did for basketball. You didn't change up on me. Okay, Dwight. I got something for you. Go down door number one over there. That's Adidas contract.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Or betting on Dwight. Shout out Magic, too. Shout out for the Magic and Adidas. Amen. Yeah, a young 18-year-old, ain't even have a fresh haircut, a mustache yet. Yeah. Yeah, man, thank you for taking a chance, man. God has taken a chance on every single one of us by saying, I'm going to drop you on earth. I'm going to take a chance on you. You was my number one pick.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
All of us was God's number one pick, and now we just got to remember while we're here that he chose us. It's so hard to forget because we got soul distractions. We got money. We got all these illusions, these things that we think are real. But it's really not. It's just to distract us from our true purpose.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So hopefully through our prayers and through people waking up and seeing our interview, our podcast today, that they start to really get alone so they can hear the small, still, sweet voice of God.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
collaboration outside of the NBA like was it like a TV show movie appearance was it I mean I see the belt oh my god I see the belt so this was one belt I actually got another belt somewhere my kids probably took it but I had a spinning belt from John Cena there go up there I was big into wrestling. When I got done playing, I wanted to be a wrestler. I actually did all that crazy stuff.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
But I was like, wrestling is pretty difficult, man. They travel more than NBA players. They're on the road almost 350 days of the year. Dang. Yeah, that's a lot.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And I'm like, I done put my knees through a lot of work already jumping and stuff. I'm not about to be picking up no 300-pound dudes and slamming them and screaming. Yeah. Like, I could do all that stuff. I could talk trash. They need to bring me in to do one of that.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
That's nice. I can do all that. But then once all the other stuff come in, then I'm going to get tired. Then I'm going to have to do this for... Everybody's going to want me to keep doing that. I'm like, no. You got like a few in you, you know. I got a few good ones in me.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Clip farming. We needed that. It's crazy. We needed that. It's so crazy. All these crazy words now. Like, I just heard of clip farming. Then I heard of this one. This one is even crazier.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
aura farming or forming whatever it is you got aura though aura but it's like everybody in the world got aura aura is just your energy it's just your spirit yeah but like but you know what I mean it's like it's like that it's like that guy walks in the room and you're just like yeah yeah but all of us have that but we decided to give it away and I'm a person that's like no I'm this is me I'm gonna be like the the highest vibration on earth is authenticity
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So if you're being your true and authentic self, your aura is going to shine so bright. Yeah, the aura. That's why you got aura. All of us got aura because God says Sunday does have aura.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And she don't want to do nothing but stand here and look at me. And I love her Sunday. And you know we're talking about you, right? Yeah, I know you know we're talking about you. She's so pretty. She got aura. She does have aura. All of us have it. That's why I speak so much on greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Because that aura that's in you, that energy that's in you, let it radiate. Like the Bible says, don't let nobody put out your candle. We all are the light of the world. So I'm just making sure my light shines. I don't want nobody to try to dim my light. You know what I'm saying? We all have that same light. So don't be afraid to let your light shine. The devil doesn't want it to shine.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
He want his light to shine. Just think about it.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Like, the devil want his light to shine. Why? Why we got to let him win?
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
But if we all shine our lights together, which is knowledge... You know that the devil ain't real. We could speak him out of existence. He's a doo-doo butt. He is a doo-doo butt. He's the devil. You a dookie butt. Yeah. And we're going to doo-doo all over you with our prayers.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Satan, you stupid sack of, we're not going to say that word on camera. Yo, yo, yo.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Yeah, it was quick, and I was just like, man, you know, I really want to continue to spread, you know, the message, the gospel. So, glad you reached out, man.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
But I think that people see people think that God is a genie. People try to use God like a genie. So they're thinking prayer means, God, I'm praying that you bless me with this right now. And they expect it to happen right now. It doesn't happen like that. What are we doing in that time period for it to get to God? Are we in his presence? Are we staying in his presence? Are we fasting?
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Are we reading? Are we praying? Are we meditating? Are we separating ourselves from the world so we can actually hear from God? Think about what Jesus did in the Bible, in the Garden of Gethsemane. What did he do? He had to go and pray and get away from everyone. When he went to go get tempted in Matthew, he had to pray and get away from everyone.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
When he went and fasted for 40 days, he had to get away from everybody. Why? Because the devil wanted to tempt him. The devil tempted him. After those 40 days of temptation, what happened with Jesus? He was transfigured. He went through a process. Why? Because all those temptations, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, it didn't hit him. He went without sin.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
And so his prayers, everything was answered for him because he actually sat and went through the process. A lot of times we don't want to go through the process. We just want to rub the bottom of... of the genie that we expect God is, but that's not God. We have to pray. And he asked us, like you said, see if he could trust us with those gifts before he give us these gifts.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I feel old, man. It is awesome though, like,
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I started praying when I was 10 years old to go to the NBA. Did I go to the NBA at 10? No. No. I had to tarry. I had to wait. I had to be patient. I had to go through a process of elimination. I had to eliminate people around me. I had to eliminate things from my body. I had to eliminate all these things that would stop me from getting to where my goal, which is the NBA.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
Did I stop praying every day? No. I prayed every single day from the time I was 10 to the time I got to the NBA.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
I think, to be honest, after being a 39-year-old young man and experiencing so much at a very young age, I've come to realize that we are all Every single one of us are on our own journey to find out who we truly are. And our parents, their job was to lay a foundation. And my parents laid a great and amazing foundation of love, but also prayer. And what I did was take it to a whole nother level.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
So I saw what they did in praying for me to make it to the NBA. And I use that same faith. Every single person had to see me become a vessel on this planet. I use that same attitude for every aspect of my life. Whatever I do in my life, I'm going to have that faith of a mustard seed. I'm going to believe Philippians 4.13 that I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
That is going to be my mindset because of the prayer warriors and the people that have that were that came before me yeah so they established the foundation my parents did so when i came i was able to walk into my destiny that was one of my my mentors told me that one of the things when i started well i have a mentor when i started walking with him he said
The Bryce Crawford Podcast
The Dwight Howard Interview (EP 92)
It's so true. It's crazy that you said that.