If Dwight Howard ever leads the Houston Rockets to an NBA title or wins the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award, the first organization he should thank is the Los Angeles Lakers.
CBSSports.com reported that Howard had succumbed to what was considered signs of a "sugar addiction" while playing for the Lakers last season.
The team brought in a physician to help change the players' eating habits. When Dr. Cate Shanahan observed Howard, she found that Howard was eating the equivalent of 24 Hershey bars a day in the form of candy and soda, according to CBSSports.com
Shanahan told CBSSports.com she was frightened by the behavior of Howard, who was the Lakers' center last season.
"It looked like he was wearing oven mitts out there," Shanahan said. "It reminded me of patients who have pre-diabetes and neurological problems because of how sugar impacts the nervous system. That's where I became really concerned."
Shanahan asked Howard to take a blood screening test, and his glucose levels were "through the roof," CBSSports.com indicated. She described her meeting with him to tell him about the need for a drastic dietary change as "absolutely like a family intervention."
According to CBSSports.com, Howard had candy and sugary drinks available everywhere - from his kitchen to his bedroom drawer to the backpack he took to Lakers games and practice.
Howard told CBS Sports, "I said, 'I can't live this way because it's not healthy to have this high level of sugar in me.' I just made a commitment."
Howard's transformation took place during the All-Star break last season, and by all accounts, his play improved. So did the Lakers, who went 28-12 in their last 40 games of the season.
Howard told ESPN.com at the time that getting rest over the All-Star break helped, and he had started a new diet.
"I'm just making sure I don't eat as much candy and sugar so I can get in good shape," he said. "Back when I was able to play 48 minutes, I could eat anything. But now I can't."
Howard has taken his diet to Houston and introduced his teammates to it.
But no need to thank the Lakers.
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