Hawks' Dwight Howard Pranked Mother by Saying He Signed with Jazz

Atlanta native Dwight Howard returned home and signed with the Hawks last summer. Before his homecoming, however, the jovial big man made his mother cry.

Appearing on CBS Sports Radio's The Doug Gottlieb Show on Monday, Howard revealed he played a joke on his mom by fabricating his latest landing spot:

"

I played a prank on my mom. I wanted to see her reaction, so I told her, I said, 'Mom, I just got this big contract, $150 million.' And she was like, 'Oh my God, from who?' I said, 'Utah Jazz,' and she started crying. And I said, 'Mom, sorry, I was just joking, I'm coming home to Atlanta.' And then she was super happy and my family was super excited.

"

Don't feel too offended, Jazz fans. Her reaction probably stemmed from her son's potential cross-country move.

Or maybe she was worried he'd have to take a backseat to center Rudy Gobert, who's averaging 10.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game this season.

Nevertheless, the Jazz probably won't be laughing at Howard's prank when the Hawks face them in Salt Lake City on Nov. 25.

[The Doug Gottlieb Show, h/t CBSSports.com]