Despite a statement saying that basketball would be a “distraction” at the moment, Dwight Howard has not yet decided whether he will play when the NBA resumes in Orlando.
Howard’s agent, Charles Briscoe, told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Sunday that Howard was merely making a statement about what is going on in the country at the moment, and isn’t thinking about basketball right now.
“The statement was about social injustice and racism,” Briscoe said. “Yet everybody is still talking about whether basketball should be played. He isn’t saying that basketball shouldn’t be. He’s just saying that you should not be taking attention away from what’s going on in the country to talk about basketball. Basketball is just a sport, at the end of the day. But what’s going on with people dying in the streets, that’s something real. That statement, it had nothing to do with sports. It had everything to do with racism and social injustice.”
For what it’s worth, Kyrie Irving, who Howard is backing in the debate over whether to report, said he would stand with his fellow players if they decided to play. Howard clearly isn’t making that decision yet. He has some time to think about it, as the league won’t resume until the end of July, but training camp is right around the corner.
Howard has been a key reserve for the Lakers this season, averaging 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
