Dubai: With one Olympic gold already around his neck, NBA superstar Dwight Howard might be forgiven for spending his off-season on the beaches rather than the basketball courts of Rio next summer.
Reports this month suggested the 6ft 11in Houston Rockets centre would not join up with Team USA when the Games roll around in 2016.
Yet the former Defensive Player of the Year told Gulf News on his recent visit that he was determined to represent his country when the world’s best basketball team assembles next year.
It is no sure thing that Howard, who appeared at the BasicBall Academy at the Dubai World Trade Centre last week, would be certain of a spot on a stacked Team USA featuring LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis.
NBA’s big kid Dwight Howard is ready to grow up
But the Houston Rockets star, 29, who remains one of the best centres in the NBA, is desperate to add to the gold he took home from the Beijing Olympics in 2008 — even if it means taking a back seat to some of the younger NBA stars.
“Hopefully I will be there,” said Howard during his Dubai visit.
“I would love to represent my country. I had a lot of fun and would also be there for those young guys even if I don’t have a significant role for the team.
“I am not looking for that, but I would love to be there to help the young guys. “I know that, if I am on that team, I would do whatever it would take to help that team win. It would be great to be there.”
