Just like the rest of us, NBA players can’t put down their cellphones, even at halftime when their minds ideally should be on the task at hand. Such was the case Wednesday night for Hornets veteran Dwight Howard, who had just four points and 10 rebounds in the first half against the Nets, his team trailing by 19. But Howard found motivation instead of distraction from his cell and he ended up with a historic outing: Finishing with 32 points and 30 rebounds in the Hornets’ 111-105 victory, he became the first player since Kevin Love in November 2010 to register a 30-30 game.
And it’s all because he got a text from a friend.
“I just thought that my energy and effort wasn’t where it needed to be for our team to be successful,” Howard said, per Adry Torres of the Associated Press. “Got a text at halftime from somebody and it kind of got me motivated and gave me some extra energy.”
[ NBA players know they’re addicted to their phones. Good luck getting them to unplug. ]
According to Basketball Reference, Howard is the ninth NBA player to record a 30-30 game since 1963, though that list does not include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 37-point, 30-rebound game for the Lakers against the New Jersey Nets in 1978, which would make Howard the 10th such player. Abdul-Jabbar also was the last player before the 32-year-old Howard to accomplish the feat after the age of 30. Wilt Chamberlain has the most 30-30 games with 124, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“I mean that’s great to be named with someone like Kareem,” Howard told Torres. “It’s one of the guys I looked up to growing up, him and Wilt Chamberlain.”
While Wilt the Stilt made 30-30 games a somewhat common occurrence, given his decisive height advantage at the time, they barely ever happen anymore. Before Love’s 31-point, 31-rebound game for the Timberwolves against the Knicks in 2010, the previous player to reach the milestone was Moses Malone for the Rockets in February 1982.
Love was quick to welcome Howard to the 30-30 club on Twitter:
Said Hornets teammate Kemba Walker: “Never been part of something like that. It was incredible. Yeah, it was incredible to see those kinds of numbers and be a part of it. Yeah, it was crazy.”
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