Ex-NBA Star Dwight Howard Reveals He Was Pressured to Remove ‘Free Palestine’ Post
Former NBA star Dwight Howard revealed in a recent interview that he was pressured to delete a social media post supporting Palestine during his time in the league.
In a video interview with Ray Daniels on the GAUDS show on YouTube, Howard recounted an incident from a few years ago when he tweeted “Free Palestine” while playing for the Houston Rockets. “Less than 10 minutes later, I got a call from the NBA commissioner, agents, people in my foundation, and even folks from Texas telling me to erase the tweet,” he said. Howard expressed confusion, asking, “What did I do that was so bad? Can somebody explain?”
Howard shared that his interaction with Palestinian fans inspired him to speak out about their struggles under “Israeli” occupation. However, he noted the challenges athletes face in expressing political views due to potential repercussions.
Howard, an 8-time NBA All-Star and NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, used this experience to highlight the restrictions on athletes’ freedom of speech.
The incident also sheds light on the ongoing conflict, with the West Bank under Zionist occupation since 1967 and Gaza under blockade since 2007. The recent Zionist aggression on Gaza has resulted in nearly 46,000 deaths since October 2023, most of them women and children, leaving the enclave in ruins and its people displaced.
