Following his recent elimination from Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday, veteran center Dwight Howard is signaling his desire to continue his basketball career in the NBA. In a recent appearance on Kevin Garnett’s podcast, All the Smoke, Howard expressed interest in joining the Oklahoma City Thunder, highlighting the franchise's current need for a big man. He stated, 'OKC, your boy is ready. What's happening? Y'all need a big. Y'all need somebody that's going to bring some energy.'

The Oklahoma City Thunder are facing challenges in the frontcourt due to injury. Key players, including Chet Holmgren, Isiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams, are all currently sidelined. Holmgren recently sustained a pelvic fracture, sidelining him for at least eight weeks. Hartenstein is dealing with a small, nondisplaced fracture in his left hand and is also expected to be unavailable for several weeks. Meanwhile, Williams is recovering from a hamstring strain, further complicating the team's frontcourt depth.

At 38 years old, Howard has not played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season, where he averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a bench player for the Los Angeles Lakers. Following that season, he spent time playing with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan's T1 League during the 2022-23 season. While Howard may not be the dominant force he once was, he argues that he can provide valuable experience and energy to a young Thunder roster, potentially complementing the existing talent on the team.