Dwight Howard is leading the NBA with 15 technical fouls this season, and the 76ers center believes it is because he is not being treated fairly by the officials.
Following Monday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Howard was asked about his technical fouls – where he is one away from an automatic one-game suspension and $5000 fine.
“I do feel like I’m being targeted every night,” Howard said. “I have felt like I’ve been targeted but I am just going to continue to play as hard as I can, I want the Philly fans to know that I am out there giving 130 percent every night. The calls might not go my way, I might seem a little frustrated, but I am out there to help this team win a championship.”
Howard, who is leading the category despite averaging just 17.4 minutes per game, pointed to his most recent technical foul on Saturday as an example of one that was unwarranted.
“Even the [technical] last game, I got a tech and I just clapped,” he said. “So you know some things seem kind of crazy, but I have to realize my position on this team and what I have to do to help this team win. I have to. Make sure that I hold myself accountable to do the right things. So, I’ve got to do a better job of that, but a lot of my techs have been just really quick and when I’m on the court, I’m passionate, I want to win.”
Howard also pointed to how he the league has changed since he first came in and has become less physical.
“I come from old-school basketball so I like to talk trash, I like to hit people, I like to push people, hands down,” he said. “It’s not like I’m doing it to be malicious, but it's how I play, it’s Philly basketball so I can’t help it.”
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