Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard, like most star NBA players right now, is gearing up for his season and wrapping up whatever offseason commitments he has. Howard had been in China recently as part of a promotional tour with the shoe company Peak and was returning to Atlanta when he became ill on the flight and had to be hospitalized. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has more on Howard’s situation:
Dwight Howard was taken to a hospital late Sunday night after feeling ill on a plane flight to Atlanta, according to several people familiar with the situation. It is believed that the Hawks center suffered from dehydration. He is being treated and is expected to be released from the hospital early Monday morning.
Howard, 30, has recently been in China on a 10-day promotional tour with shoe manufacturer Peak. Last week, the Chinese company and Howard unveiled his DH2 shoe which features the colors of the Hawks. It also has ‘Be Gr8’ embroidered on the tongue. Howard changed his number to eight after signing with the Hawks this summer and has worn the slogan on apparel.
There is currently no release date for the shoe in the United States.
Howard has been working out with a personal shooting coach while in China and has posted several videos of his workouts on social media. The most recent post of Howard working out in China was four days ago.
Howard, an Atlanta native from Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, signed a three-year, $70.5 million contract with the Hawks this summer. The eight-time NBA All-Star was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year three straight seasons from 2008-09 to 2010-11. Howard has played 12 seasons with the Magic, Lakers and Rockets before joining the Hawks.
