NEW ORLEANS, February 17, 2008: The 2008 All-Star Weekend in New Orleans will be remembered for many things, but one that happened on the court will stand out decades from now - the emergence of Dwight Howard as an NBA superstar. In a week that saw a successful NBA Cares Day of Service, blockbuster trades (actual and rumored), and a fantastic job of hosting the game by the city of New Orleans, Howard's domination of the Sprite Slam Dunk contest and a 16-point, nine-rebound performance in the East's 134-128 victory are cementing him in the pantheon of NBA franchise players.

"I had a lot of fun, New Orleans is one of my favorite cities," said Howard while surrounded by media after the game. "Winning the dunk contest and being around guys like K.G., LeBron, and Kobe, it means a lot to me. It's amazing, winning both the dunk and the All-Star Game has to make it the most memorable weekend of my career so far."

Howard wore a Superman cape during one of his dunks on All-Star Saturday night, and this week he ably filled in for the absence of the man who has the Superman "S" tatooed on his arm, Shaquille O'Neal. With O'Neal winding down his storied career, Howard has emerged this season as the next dominant center in the NBA. O'Neal missed the All-Star Game for the first time in 15 seasons, but Howard took over the role of starting center for the East and supplied alley-oop finishes and emphatic blocks, including a rejection of an offering from the 7-6 Yao Ming in the first quarter.

"I'm just happy to be a part of All-Star Weekend", said Howard. "Nobody will ever replace Shaq, but I am going to try to do the best I can when I am out the court. I feel great about the game. The fact that we won when we got demolished last year, it was great to come out with a win."

In his fourth NBA season after Orlando made him the number one overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, Howard is averaging career-bests in scoring (21.4 ppg) and rebounding (14.6), and ranks among the league leaders in rebounding and double-doubles. Fittingly for someone known for being prolific when it comes to the high-percentage dunk, Howard also ranks third in the NBA with a .602 (397-660) field-goal percentage. True to form, Howard was a perfect 7-7 from the field on Sunday night.

Now that 2008 All-Star Weekend is a part of history, Howard will focus on his primary goal of returning the Orlando Magic to the playoffs. The Magic are leading the Southeast Division this season with a 33-21 record and have their sights set on advancing far past last season's first round exit. The stats and the highlights are impressive, but if Howard is going to take the next step in claiming his place as one of the NBA's best big men of all time than he will be expected to follow in O'Neal's footsteps and lead the Magic to the NBA Finals.

"In the second half of the season, we just need to concentrate on defending better", said Howard about the Magic. "I think that we are going to be a good playoff team."