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Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard is one of the most electrifying young basketball players today, as well as one of the most generous. After reaching the NBA finals in 2009, Howard's team, the Orlando Magic, has never been closer to its first championship. Howard started his own charity in 2004, the Dwight D. Howard Foundation, and often volunteers in the community and hosts his own basketball camps to help kids improve at the game.
* Reviews *
Flying through the air in a Superman costume, Dwight Howard not only won the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, but he also won over millions of fans. The first player in NBA history to earn more than 3 million fan votes for the All-Star game, Howards mix of athleticism and personality clearly have made him a fan favorite and an equally engaging subject for middle school readers. Drafted straight out of high school in 2004, Howard showed promise of becoming a superstar player from the very beginning. In his first five seasons with the Orlando Magic, Howard grew from a smiling, goofy rookie to a powerhouse defender who led his team to the NBA finals in 2009. Basen details Howards rise with a reporter-like focus on statistics and a dramatic flair in describing key turning points. A chapter on Howards foundation benefiting children in Atlanta and Orlando, as well as Howards experience on the 2006 Olympic team, offer a broader picture of the man inside the uniform. For the avid basketball fan, this book can easily be read in one sitting. However, this installment in the Sports Stars Who Give Back series offers little insight into Howards character. Drawn primarily from newspaper reports, this book reads more like a Sports Center special rather than a biography for young readers. A more extensive discussion of Howards involvement in his community or anecdotes from those he has helped would have given readers a glimpse of this superstars human side., Children's Literature
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Grades
5-6 IL
Grades
5-12+ GRL
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