Washington Wizards: 30 greatest players in franchise history
PF. (1994-01). Juwan Howard. 20. player. 142.
Juwan Howard was the fifth overall pick by the Bullets in the 1994 NBA Draft from the University of Michigan. He was a member of the nationally known group: the Fab Five. A group comprised of himself, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King and their time at Michigan was documented in a 30 for 30 on ESPN.
After his selection in the 1994 draft, he made the All-Rookie Second Team during the 1994-95 season. He averaged 17.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a rookie.
In his second season, he made his only All-Star Game appearance, averaging 22.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. The versatile 6-foot-9 big man averaged 18.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest through seven seasons with the franchise, starting in all but 13 games in his 464 appearances for the Bullets and Wizards.
He did manage to make one playoff appearance with the Bullets during the 1996-97 season. In arguably the best season of Howard’s career as he averaged a career-high 22.1 points, 4.4 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. He played alongside former Fab Five teammate, Chris Webber that season.
Howard was traded from the Wizards to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2000-01 season. After that, he played for seven other franchises throughout 22 seasons. He won an NBA championship with LeBron James and the Miami Heat in 2011-12 at 38 years old before retiring in 2012-13. Now, he serves as an assistant coach for the Heat, a position he’s held since 2013.