76ers center Dwight Howard. (Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
Philadelphia 76ers fans caught sight of Dwight Howard sitting on the Atlanta Hawks baseline during Game 3 against the Bucks and they were not happy.
If you had a Dwight Howard sighting on your Game 3 bingo card, congratulations.
While the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks fought for control of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night, fans couldn’t help but notice a familiar face on the sideline.
Philadelphia 76ers center Dwight Howard was at the game to watch the team that knocked his team out of the postseason.
Sixers fans and others had feelings about it.
Some jumped to some pretty big (often facetious) conclusions about Howard’s choice to turn up.
Howard had a decent reason for being there. He’s from Atlanta.
Leave it to NBA Twitter to make jokes either way.
The Hawks upset the No. 1-seeded 76ers in seven games during the second round of the playoffs.
Howard averaged 4.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. He had 12 points in Philadelphia’s Game 3 victory but played just 7 minutes in the final game of the series with no points, 3 rebounds and 1 block.
The veteran center joined the 76ers on a one-year deal after helping the Los Angeles Lakers win the NBA title in 2020. He was looking to help another team go deep into the playoffs, but obviously that wish didn’t come through.
As a free agent, it’s not clear if Howard will be back in Philadelphia next year. Now 35 years old, he needs to decide if he wants to keep playing and where.
The Hawks and Bucks certainly aren’t thinking about next season at the moment. Atlanta grabbed Game 1 on the road before Milwaukee responded with a blowout win in Game 2. Game 3 started the Georgia leg of the series with plenty of basketball left to be played.