DWIGHT HOWARD

You go from high school, to the NBA, and you're thrown in the fire.

I would never, ever desert my child. A lot of my friends didn't have fathers growing up, and they were very upset that their fathers weren't around. I was lucky to have mine around.

In Orlando, I handled a lot of stuff the wrong way.

People say you don't need a father to be successful. I take offense to that.

I didn't try to cry my way out of Orlando. That was never my intention, or not what I did at all. And I understand everybody thought it was that way because of what was being put out there.

I've always played 'NBA Live' since I was a kid, so to be on the cover is a blessing.

The hardest thing to do is to trust people.

I've been on the side where you have nothing, and now I'm on the side where anything I want is there for me. When I didn't have the means to do whatever I wanted to do, I still had peace.

I work extremely hard in the weight room, and also on the court to get better and make sure I keep my body in shape.

I'm not a crybaby.

But at the end of the day, every star, every person that been iconic, has gone through a time in their lives where it was just bad. Everybody. It just made them better.

You don't have to be best friends as basketball players but I do believe in chemistry. I think it makes everything different if a team is really together and they're all on that same page. They might not like each other, per se, but if you're on the same page and the chemistry is there, you can play great basketball. You can go back to teams like Detroit, the Bad Boys. Those guys had great chemistry, that's why they won.

I try not to have a lot of sugar in my system. If I have sugar for breakfast, whether that be fruit or some pancakes or French toast, they'll make sure all of the meals for the rest of the day have no sugar in them. I try to take the sugar out of my diet.

The biggest thing is always being around people that are going to lift you up and not bring you down. That's why I prayed for God to send me some good friends. He's done that. I don't really have a lot of friends, but the friends I do have are great.

Today is a new day. Even if you were wrong yesterday, you can get it right today.

I'm trying to earn everything given to me. I play hard and I want guys to remember that when they play the Magic they have to face Dwight Howard. And when you face him you have to get after it.

I hated that perception that I didn't work hard, that I really don't love basketball.

It was more of me rushing my shots than anything. Thats the biggest thing for me. I was making good moves, but at the end of my moves, I was rushing all my shots. I learned a lesson.

My purpose in life, my goal for the NBA is to preach God's word - not just try to beat everybody over the head with a Bible but just being a good example and always conducting myself in a Christian-like manner.

Everybody needs to realize that it doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are, you still can be a Christian and live for God. It's not easy but that's why we have God's word and He forgives us when we do something we shouldn't be doing. You know, God sent His son to die for us and He paid that sacrifice so you can go to Heaven.

My team in Orlando was a team full of people who nobody wanted, and I was the leader and I led that team with a smile on my face.

I want to make sure I'm fly. Nothing too baggy, something that fits right. I just like that feeling when you go out in public and everyone's like "Wow, that's an awesome outfit."

Sometimes things don't work like they should.

I was supposed to be in the NBA. I was supposed to travel the world and make the world a better place.

I'm a fun person to be around, laid back, love to have fun.