Former NBA superstar Dwight Howard revealed that during his time with the Houston Rockets, he faced backlash and “dang near got kicked out of the league” over a tweet supporting Palestine.
Speaking on The GAUDS Show with Ray Daniels, Howard shared how a simple act of solidarity became a controversial moment that nearly jeopardized his basketball career.
Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star and 2020 NBA champion, recounted how he was inspired to post “Free Palestine” on Twitter after speaking with Palestinian fans who had shared their struggles under decades-long Israeli occupation.
“Me having a big heart, I’m like, ‘you know what, I want people to know the struggles you all are having,’” he explained.
“Less than 10 minutes after I tweet that, I get a call from the commissioner of the NBA, agents, people working with my foundation at the time… ‘You gotta erase this tweet! You gotta take this down!’” Howard said. He was shocked and confused, asking, “What did I do that was so bad? Can somebody explain?”
Discussing the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a very sensitive topic, especially in public forums, particularly for high-profile figures in professional sports. Howard described the pressures athletes face to avoid controversial topics, sharing that speaking out could lead to significant repercussions.
“When you’re in the NBA, it’s a lot of things you want to say, that you could say, but you know if you say it, there’s going to be repercussions, you get into a lot of trouble,” he admitted.
Check out the full interview.
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