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Home , 2004 NBA draft, Ben Gordon, Center (basketball), Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Field goal percentage

CITY OF LOS ANGELES Office of the JUNE lAGMAY CITY CLERK City Clerk Council and Public Services Room 395, City Hall Los Angeles, CA 90012 HOllY i, WOLCOTT General Information - (213) 978·1133 Executive Officer Fax: (213) 978·1040

SHANNON HOPPES When making inquiries relative to Council and Public Services Division this matter, please refer to the ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA Council File No. MAYOR www.cityclerk.!acily.orq

November 15, 2012

To All Interested Parties:

The City Council adopted the action(s), as attached, under Council File

No. 12-1716, at its meeting held November 14, 2012.

An Equal Employment Opportunity - Affirmative Action Employer r'dV ~""r "\-:"~';I' '.~ . ,-',~,'f\ DN NEXT CITY OF Los !\l't;t..E:0io:\¥llJ'iGiL [;GENDA TO BE POSTED #541 ; FD" Ctv),;1 !,Icve,' be- H,)O i ;: NOV 0 7 2012

RESOLUTION Day

WHEREAS, Dwight David Howard, born December 8, 1985, is an American player for the of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dwight, who usually plays but can also play forward, had an outstanding high school career at Southwest Christian Academy. He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA , and was selected first overall by the ; and

WHEREAS, Dwight was born in Atlanta, to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard and into a family with strong athletic connections. His father is a Georgia State Trooper and serves as Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, a private academy with one of the best high school basketball programs in the country, while his mother played on the inaugural women's basketball team at Morris Brown College; and

WHEREAS, a devout Christian since his youth, Dwight became serious about basketball around the age of nine; when in the eighth grade, he resolved to be selected as the one piek in the NBA Draft one day; and

WHEREAS, a six-time All-Star, six-time AU-NBAteam selection, five-time All-Defensive member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight has been ranked consistently as one of the best in the league in rebounds, blocks, percentage and attempts, and has set numerous franchise and league records; and

WHEREAS, Dwight led the Orlando Magic to three division titles and one conference title, and he was' the winner of the 2008 NBA Contest. In the 2008 Olympics, he was the starting center for Team USA, which went on to win the gold medal; and

WHEREAS, Before he was drafted in 2004, Dwight said that he wanted-to use his NBA career and Christian faith to "raise the name of God within the league and throughout the world". In November 2009, he was named one of the 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which awards athletes for their charitable work; and

WHEREAS, Despite his large frame, Dwight was quick and versatile enough to play the guard position. He elected to attend Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy for high school, and in his four years he played mostly as power forward, averaging 16.6 points per game, 13.4 rebounds per game and 6.3 blocks per game in 129 appearances; and

WHEREAS, as a senior, Dwight led his team to the 2004 state title. He averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game, That same year, Dwight was widely recognized as the best American high school basketball player, and he was awarded the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the High School Player of the Year Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald's National High School Player of the Year honor. He was also co~MVP of the McDonald's High School All-American Game that year. On January 31,2012, Dwight was also honored as one of the 35 greatest Mcljonald's All-Americans: and .

WHEREAS, Following his high school successes, Dwight chose to forego college and declared for the 2004 NBA Draft-a decision partly inspired by his idol who had done the same in 1995; and CITY OF Los ANGELES

RESOLUTION WHEREAS, Dwight took the number 12 for his jersey, in pint because it was the reverse of Garnett's 21 when he played for . Dwight joined a depleted Magic squad that had finished with only 21 victories the previous season; further, the club had just lost perennial NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. Dwight, however, made an immediate impact. He finished his rookie season with an average of 12.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds pCI' game, setting several NBA records in the process; and

WHEREAS, Dwight became the youngest player in NBA history to average a double double in the regular season. He also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 10 rebounds in a season and youngest NBA player everto record at least 20 rebounds in a game. Dwight's importance to the Magic was highlighted when he became the first player in NBA history directly out of high school to start all 82 games during his rookie season. For his efforts, he was selected to play in the 2005,NBA Rookie Challenge, and was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team. He also finished third to fellow center of the Charlotte Bobcats and guard of the Bulls for the Rookie of the Year award; and

WHEREAS, Dwight reported to camp for his second NBA campaign having added 20 pounds of muscle during the off-season. Orlando coach decided that Dwight should be converted into a full-fledged center. Hill identified two .ereas where Dwight needed to improve: his post-up game, and his defense. He exerted extra pressure on Dwight, saying that the Magic would need him to emerge as a force in the middle before the team had a chance at the playoffs; and

WHEREAS, even though the big man played tentatively at times, Dwight was able to buiJd on his strong rookie year with an impressive sophomore season. On November 15, 2005, in a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Dwight scored 21 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to score 20 or more points and gather 20 or more rebounds in, the same game. He was selected. to play on the Sophomore Team in the 2006 Rookie Challenge during the All-Star break, and on April 15,2006, be- recorded a career-high 26 rebounds against the ; his 28 points in that game also brought him close to an NBA rarity, a 30-30 game; and

WHEREAS, Overall, Dwight averaged 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, ranking second in the NBA in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds, and double doubles; and sixth in ; and

WHEREAS, Dwight took another step forward as the franchise player for Orlando in the 2006-07 season, and for the third consecutive season he played in all 82 regular season games. On February 1,2007, he received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad for the 2007 NBA AU-Star Game. Dwight finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Less than a week later, he recorded a career-high 32 points against the . A highlight was his game-winning alley-cop off an inbound at the buzzer against the at Arena on February 9; and

WHEREAS, Dwight continued posting impressive numbers in the 2007-08 season; with Rasbard Lewis added to the ranks alongisde Hedo Turlcoglu to provide an extra offensive spark, this was the Magic's best season yet. Dwight's strong and consistent play ensured that he was named as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, and by the time the mid-season break arrived, he was leading the league in double doubles (he concluded the season with a league-high 69) and had recorded 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game on five occasions; eight by the season's end; and

WHEREAS, Dwight's rebounding is in part facilitated by his extraordinary athleticism; his running vertical leap was tested at 39.5 inches in 2011, rare for a player of his size at 6' 11". He demonstrated this skill in the 2007 , where he completed an alley oop dunk from teammate Jameer CITY OF Los ANGELES

RESOLUTION Nelson while slapping a sticker onto the backboard at 12 feet 6 inches high. The sticker showed an image of his own smiling face with a handwritten "All things through Christ Phil: 4:13," a paraphrase of Philippians 4:13. Dwight's leaping reach of 12 feet 6 inches is the highest documented in NBA history, 1 inch higher than Shaquille O'Neal's previous record; and

WHEREAS, Dwight led the Magic to their first division title in 12 years and to the third seed for the 2008 NBA Playoffs, and in the first-round match-up against the Toronto Raptors, Dwight's dominance (three 20 /20 games) and 's strong play ensured that Orlando prevailed over five games, Dwight's series total of 91 rebounds was also greater than the total rebounds collected by the entire Toronto frontcourt; and

WHEREAS, in the next round against the Pistons, the Magic lost the first two road games before Dwight's 20 point and 12 rebound performance in Game 3 salvaged a home win. In that same week, the center was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time, and subsequently, the NBA All-Defensive Second Team,

WHEREAS, the 2008-09 campaign began well for Dwight. Ten games into the season, he was leading the league in blocks per game, 4.2, and even recorded his first triple-double: 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks. At the halfway point of the season, Dwight was leading the league in rebounds and blocks, and was among the league leaders in field goal percentage. He garnered a record 3.1 million votes to earn the starting berth on the Eastern Conference team for the 2009 NBA All-Star game; and

WHEREAS, on March 25, 2009, Dwight led Orlando to its second straight Southeast Division title with 11 games of the regular season left to play, and eventually the third seed for the 2009 NBA Playoffs with a 59-23 record. On April 21, 2009, he became the youngest player ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, achieving a goal he had set for himself before the start of the season. The Magic went into the playoffs without its injured starting point guard Jameer Nelson, and in the first round against the 76ers, Howard recorded 24 points and 24 rebounds in Game 5 to give Orlando a 3-2 lead, before the Magic closed out the series in six games. On May 6, 2009, Dwight was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and a week later, to the All-NBA First Team; and

WHEREAS, in Game 6 in the second. round of the playoffs against the defending champions , Dwight posted 23 points and 22 rebounds to force the series into seven games. The Magic went on to defeat Boston, and then defeated -which was led by league MVP LeBron James=-a-Z in the Eastern Conference Finals. Howard had a playoffs career-high 40 points to go with his 14 rebounds in the deciding Game 6, leading Orlando to its first NBA Finals in 14 years; and

WHEREAS, the Los Angeles Lakers took the first two home games to establish a 2-0 lead in the Finals, before a home win by the Magic brought the score to 2-1. In Game 4, despite Dwight putting up 21 rebounds and a Finals-record of 9 blocks in a game, the Magic lost in overtime. The Lakers went on to win Game 5, and the NBA Finals; and

WHEREAS, on January 21, 2010, Dwight was named as the starting center for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Not long after the Magic completed the regular season with 59 wins and their third consecutive division title, Dwight won the Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second straight year. He became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in blocks and rebounds in the same season twice-and for two years in a row; and CITY OF Los ANGELES

RESOLUTION WHEREAS, Dunng.the playoffs, the Magic defeated both Charlotte and Atlanta 4 games to none, in the first and second rounds respectively. In reaching the Conference Finals again, the Magic faced Boston, who had upset Cleveland in the Semifinals, Orlando lost the first three games, took the next two, but finally succumbed in Game 6; and

WHEREAS, in the 2010-11 regular season, Dwight posted career-highs in points and shooting percentages, but the Magic were unable to win their division for the fourth straight year. Although the Heat won the division, the Magic won 52 games, and finished as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs; and

WHEREAS, on January 12, 2012, Dwight attempted an NBA regular season record 39 free throws against the .The Warriors hacked Howard intentionally throughout the game, and he broke 's regular season record of 34 set in 1962. Dwight made 21 of the 39 attempts, and he finished with 45 points and 23 rebounds in the Magic's 117-109 victory; and

WHEREAS, on January 24, 2012, Dwight became the Magic's all-time scoring leader, surpassing Nick Anderson's 10,650 points; and

WHEREAS, Dwight has amassed several NBA and franchise records and awards during his NBA career. He has led the league in rebounds per game four times, blocks per game twice, and double-doubles three times. He is also the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, and 7000 career rebounds, and the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding and blocks; and

WHEREAS, following Dwight's 2009-10 season, he became the first NBA player ever to lead the league in total rebounds for five consecutive seasons. He surpassed Wilt Chamberlain's record of four from 1959-60-1962-63, and again from 1965-66-1968-69. He became the first player to lead the league in rebounding and blocks in consecutive seasons, and was also the first player ever to lead the league in rebounding, blocks, and field goal percentage in the same season; and

WHEREAS, on April 18,2011, Howard won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming the first player in league history to have won the award in three consecutive seasons; and

WHEREAS, Dwight was named on March 2, 2006 to the 2006-2008 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program. As the team's regular starting center, he helped lead the team to a 5-0 record during its pre-World Championship tour, and subsequently helped the team win the bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. During the FIBA Americas Championship 2007, Dwight was on the team which won its first nine games en route to qualifying for the finals and a spot for the 2008 Olympics. He started in eight of those nine games, averaging 8.9 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and led the team in shooting .778 from the field. In the finals, he made an seven of his shots and scored 20 points as the USA defeated Argentina to win the gold medal; and

WHEREAS, on June 23, 2008, Dwight was named as one of the members of the lz-man squad representing the in the 2008 in Beijing. With Dwight starting as center, Team USA won all of its games en route to the gold medal, breaking their drought of gold medals dating CITY OF Los ANGELES

RESOLUTION back to the 2000 Olympics. Dwight averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the tournament; and

WHEREAS, within the NBA itself, Dwight has participated in several NBA "Read to Achieve" assemblies encouraging children to make reading a priority. In November 2009, the center was named one of the 1.0 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which awards athletes for their charitable work. In 2009, Dwight, along with several other NBA players, joined the Hoops for St. Jude charity program benefitting the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Elsewhere, Dwight appeared as a special guest on an episode of the ABC series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that aired April 2, 2006, in which Ty Pennington and his team built a new home and ministry offices for Sadie Holmes, who operates a social services ministry in the Orlando area; and

WHEREAS, Dwight is an avid listener of Gospel music, he attends the Fellowship of Faith Church when he is back home in Atlanta and is involved and active with the youth programs at the church; and

WHEREAS, together with his parents, Dwight also established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation Inc. in 2004. The Foundation provides scholarships for students who want to attend his Alma Mater, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, and grants to Lovell Elementary School and Memorial Middle School in Orlando, . The Foundation also organizes summer basketball camps for boys and girls, and together with high school and college coaches and players, fellow NBA players are invited to be on hand at the camp. ' For his contributions in the community, Dwight received in 2005 the Rich and Helen De Vos Community Enrichment Award; and

WHEREAS, on August 10,2012, Dwight Howard was traded from Orlando to the Los Angeles Lakers:

Now Therefore Be It Resolved, that by the adoption of this resolution, the Los Angeles City Council along with the Mayor, City Attorney and City Controller do hereby declare November 14, 2012 as Dwight Howard Day in the City of Los Angeles.

Adopted: 11114112

Presented by, ~ d ;:; BERNARD C. PARKS

.S"O""'" by,_2wJ ~ All Council Mayor, City Controller and City Attorney

,ADOPTED NOV 14 1012 LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCil