Dwight Howard and the Decade's Top 5 NBA Falls from Grace

Dwight Howard was once the darling of the NBA—a new generation of superstar who was the fun-loving nice guy in juxtaposition to a league full of guys who took themselves far too seriously.

That didn't last long.

Now, Howard has made an art out of changing his mind, sending mixed messages and holding the rest of the world up while his circus unfolds.

Howard apparently indicated willingness to sign a long-term extension with the Los Angeles Lakers in the event the Orlando Magic traded him there, according to sources as reported by Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com, but his agent now says otherwise according to ESPN's Ric Bucher:

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Dwight's position has remained unchanged since the end of this past season, said Dan Fegan of LaGardere Unlimited. He fully intends to explore free agency at the end of next season, regardless of what team trades for him, including Brooklyn.

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After an entire season of making life awkward for the Orlando Magic and former head coach Stan Van Gundy, the egocentric center is now just making life difficult for the entire NBA.

Everyone would like a resolution to this situation, but Howard's antics have made it difficult for new general manager Rob Hennigan to orchestrate a deal that works out for the Magic. The problem isn't just that he's keeping the public in suspense; it's that he's single-handedly holding up the plans of organizations like the Magic, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Until they know how this madness ends, the rest of their plans must take a backseat.

Howard may be one of the clumsiest of NBA celebrities, but he's certainly not the only one to go from first to worst in public opinion.

Here are five others who fell from grace over the last decade. How does Howard stack up?

5. Allen Iverson: 2006

"Not a game, not a game, not a game...We're talking about practice."

Allen Iverson was clearly trying to make a point, and he ultimately did. It just wasn't the one he intended.

By attempting to put the media's focus on his practice habits (or lack thereof) into perspective, he told us all we ever needed to know about his misaligned priorities. An otherwise well-respected athlete who proved that size only mattered so much quickly became something of a joke—albeit a very talented one.

A few years later, it was Iverson's ongoing friction with coaches and management of the Philadelphia 76ers that began to turn his wildly successful career upside down.

After 11 years with the 76ers, Iverson began to pout like never before in 2006 when Philly began to struggle. The end was near (via ESPN staff):

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We're going to trade him," Sixers chairman Ed Snider said Friday night.

At a certain point, you have to come to grips with the fact that it's not working. He wants out and we're ready to accommodate him.

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Iverson was soon traded to the Denver Nuggets and served tours with the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies a couple of years later before an irrelevant return to Philadelphia. But, things never quite worked out for Iverson, once he pushed his way out of Philly the first time around.

This time, the grass was most certainly not greener on the other side.

4. Latrell Sprewell: 2004

Latrell Sprewell would be higher on this list but for the fact he was never regarded especially well to begin with.

The sometimes electric shooting guard had notoriously choked coach P.J. Carlesimo in 1997 while playing for the Golden State Warriors, endearing himself to hardly anyone but late-night comedians.

But, the real letdown came in 2004 when Sprewell turned his nose up at a three-year, $21 million extension. He gave The St. Paul Pioneer Press a piece of his mind that will live on in infamy (via The New York Times' Pat Borzi):

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Why would I want to help them win a title? They're not doing anything for me. I'm at risk. I have a lot of risk here. I've got a family to feed. Anything could happen.

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That family must have had some expensive taste. Apparently, mac and cheese just isn't cutting it for kids these days.

The remarks weren't just a low point for the NBA. 

They were a symptom of the opulence that had come to characterize just about anyone who was overpaid and detached from reality.

Of course, Sprewell made matters worse by suggesting the media had somehow taken his comments out of context as reported by ESPN. Needless to say, no one was convinced.

3. Stephon Marbury: 2006

Stephon Marbury quickly became one of the games most impressive point guards, showing promise that once made him apparently worthy of a trade for Jason Kidd.

After stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets and Phoenix Suns, it was his 2004 move to the New York Knicks that seemed destined to become the climax of his career.

Things didn't exactly work out as planned.

Marbury grew up in New York, so the change of scenery seemed a perfect fit for both the Knicks and him alike. Instead, his inability to mesh with head coach Larry Brown and the public distractions that ensued turned him into a pariah.

What's worse, the chaos led to Brown's ousting and the insertion of Isiah Thomas.

That experiment didn't work out either.

Meanwhile, Marbury's on-court performance took a decided turn for the worse. His scoring average dropped by over five points from his first full season with the Knicks to the next. With injuries beginning to pile on, Marbury was never able to recover.

The 35-year-old has, however, discovered some renewed success in China over the last couple of years.

Good for him.

2. LeBron James: 2010

There's a good case to be made that Dwight Howard deserves far more blame for the headaches he's caused.

After all, LeBron James avoided causing any significant distractions during the season. He waited until the summer for the circus to begin.

Nevertheless, James' The Decision will always hold a special place in the history of NBA disappointments. The hyped one-hour ESPN special in which he made his announcement was destined to upset just about everyone other than fans in Miami.

Many have since forgiven the increasingly sympathetic superstar.

Winning a championship can do that kind of thing.

Others, however, will never fully reconcile themselves with the notion of a superstar seemingly celebrating his departure from the team that drafted him and forfeited its future prospects in order to surround him with talent.

Nor will many appreciate the promises of multiple titles he began making almost instantaneously.

One thing is for sure. Whoever is scripting James' public comments these days is doing a much better job.

1. Kobe Bryant: 2003

Kobe Bryant's nearly limitless popularity took a hard hit in 2003 when he was charged with sexual assault by a 19-year-old from Colorado.

Those charges were eventually settled, but the damage to Bryant's reputation was already done. At the time, his ability to attract endorsement deals took a hard hit according to The Washington Post's Thomas Heath and Greg Sandoval: 

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Many basketball observers said they believed the Lakers guard, who signed a seven-year, $136 million contract with Los Angeles in July, would pick up where he left off on the court last spring, when he turned in a series of stunning playoff performances despite the looming trial. But repairing his lucrative off-the-court business ventures that were damaged by the charges against him will require considerably more effort, public relations officials said.

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And, nearly a decade later, many have indeed forgotten and forgiven Bryant.

Whatever the substantive facts of his case, some will remain disappointed by his admitted infidelity. Others will excuse the behavior as par for the course among top-shelf celebrities.

Bryant may never be everyone's cup of tea.

But, he's at least returned to grace enough that the NBA, at-large, once again treats him as one of the all-time greats. Whether due to smooth talking and skilled PR measures or the public's short memory, it's made Bryant's fall from grace an intriguing case study.