Dwight Howard will have his Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy high school jersey number retired by school Thursday.
The Hawks center will have his No. 12 honored during halftime of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy’s playoff game against Whitefield Academy.
Howard wore No. 12 for the first 12 seasons of his NBA career after he went straight from high school to the professional ranks as the No. 1 overall pick of the Magic in 2004. He changed his uniform to No. 8 this season upon joining the Hawks.
“It’s cool,” Howard said Wednesday. “I haven’t really thought about it. I’m happy that it’s finally happening. It’s a great accomplishment.”
Howard led his school to a state championship as a senior in 2004. He was named the consensus national Player of the Year that season. In his four high school seasons, Howard averaged 16.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.3 blocks in 129 games.
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