Dwight Howard spoke to reporters about Saturday night's dunk contest and hinted at a Kobe Bryant tribute.
Dwight Howard is set to compete in the 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Saturday night in Chicago. He had hoped Kobe Bryant would be there to help with his performance, but according to ESPN, he may honor him during the event.
"You'll have to wait and see," Howard said coyly when asked if he had anything special planned regarding Bryant.
Saturday night will be the first time the Lakers' big man has entered a slam dunk competition since 2008 when he performed his iconic superman routine.
"During All-Star Weekend, a lot of guys are getting ready for the second half of the season," Howard said. "So it is pretty hard to get those guys to want to be in the dunk contest. But, this is the thing that I enjoy. I have been dunking my whole life basically."
Howard went on to speak about an unofficial dunk contest he competed in at Venice Beach.
"After we finished dunking, I was like, 'Man, that felt really good to really get the crowd into it and just enjoy dunking and basketball again,'" Howard said. "I was super surprised that I was able to get up and dunk like that. So I said, from that moment on I was going to try to get myself ready for the dunk contest."
The 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest is scheduled for 9:00 PM on February 15.