Few things in the NBA are as reliable as Dwight Howard’s ability to rebound the ball. From his rookie season with the Orlando Magic in 2004-05 to his current one with the Charlotte Hornets, Howard has never averaged less than 10 rebounds a game. Last night, his board work reached new heights as he broke into the top 20 on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list.
* NBA’s all-time rebound leaders
In last night’s win against the Magic, Howard first moved past Hall of Famer Paul Silas for 20th on the all-time list (12,358) and, by the time the night was over, had surpassed Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo (12,361) for 19th, too.
MILESTONE: @DwightHoward has passed Paul Silas for 20th place on the @NBA's all-time career rebounding leaderboard (12,358) pic.twitter.com/rTJe7ti0og
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 5, 2017
Dwight Howard, now 20th all-time on the #NBA Rebounds List!#BuzzCity pic.twitter.com/i0GZ82azo5
— NBA (@NBA) December 5, 2017
.@hornets C @DwightHoward has 8 rebounds tonight and has 12,360 for his career, passing Dikembe Mutombo for 19th on the All-Time @NBA rebounding list #BuzzCity
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) December 5, 2017
With 9 boards last night against the Magic, @DwightHoward breaks into the top 20 in all-time rebounds. pic.twitter.com/zuOLmALywF
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 5, 2017
Howard now needs 186 rebounds to pass Charles Barkley for 18th on the list and could climb higher before 2017-18 ends. Over the last 13 seasons, Howard has averaged 920 rebounds a season. This season, he has 272 rebounds. Another 700 or so rebounds would give him roughly 13,060 rebounds, enough for him to surpass Buck Williams for 15th all-time.
”It’s an amazing accomplishment,” Howard said after last night’s game. ”Being 14 seasons in, I’m very thankful and blessed to be able to play this game, so I’m always thanking God for giving me this opportunity to play and I just want to keep it going.”
