Is Dwight Howard’s legacy being damaged by his refusal to come out of the closet? I’m serious.

Dwight Howard is almost certainly a Hall of Famer regardless, but few give him the respect that would normally go to somebody with an “almost certain HoFer” status such as his. Would more respect him if he stopped acting like he wasn’t gay? I and many other gays would be enormously proud of him if/when he came out and would feel a sense of renewed confidence in such shaky times as the present, with the rising Christian conservative tide. Seeing somebody in his position take a public stand like that would be comforting. But also, it would take away from a lot of the jokes people make about him. The gay jokes weirdly enough would disappear immediately, because they’d have no power over him. “Dwight probably loved being in the same locker room as Kelly Oubre.” Like, “yeah, he probably did. Is there a problem?” Now the conversation isn’t about him being gay, but about the people who take issue with it.

I know Pride Month is over and I don’t mean to be late to the party, but seeing Dwight Howard’s enthusiasm to join Philadelphia after the drafting of Jared McCain has opened up this issue once again.