Dwight Howard uses gorillas as example while advocating veganism: “I might have to go vegan”

Dwight Howard has displayed incredible strength throughout his NBA career. As the man in the middle for the Orlando Magic, he bulked up to protect the interior.

The former No. 1 pick shared his interest in a vegan diet on Shannon Sharpe's podcast, "Club Shay Shay." In the episode, Dwight Howard shared his interest in being vegan. While he isn't one, he's curious what being vegan does for strength and conditioning.

"I'm not vegan, but I might have to go vegan, because I found out that some of the stongest people on earth were vegan," Howard said. "For example, gorillas. They don't eat no meat and they're the strongest."

He added that being on a vegan diet could help strengthen one's mental state.

Sharpe teased Dwight Howard and asked if he's willing to eat 40 pounds of grass, to which the former NBA center playfully answered "yes."

Howard is still a free agent and isn't ready to retire just yet.

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Dwight Howard should make it to the Hall of Fame

Former LA Lakers center Dwight Howard

There have been various opinions about Dwight Howard throughout the years, but no one can deny the fact that he was special. As one of the few NBA players who came straight out of high school, Howard was able to live up to his hype. His career has been enough for him to be a Hall of Famer, but there are those that continue to doubt him.

One of his biggest doubters is NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal. Fans started calling Howard "Superman" after he donned a cape in the 2008 Salm Dunk Contest. From there, O'Neal expressed his disapproval of giving the eight-time All-Star his due respect. Howard, on the other hand, just brushed it off.

Howard's case for the Hall of Fame shouldn't be questioned. Howard's individual accomplishments alone make him a strong candidate for being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He's a three-time Defensive Player of the Year award and has led the Orlando Magic to the finals since Shaq's stint with the squad. Basketball-Reference.com lists his HOF probabality as 99.7%.

Out of all the players who have won the Defensive Player of the Year award multiple times, Howard is the only one to win it for three straight seasons. His defensive repertoire was his bread and butter. Defensively, he was feared by opponents, and that put him into a superstar.

In his 18-year career, Howard was able to be named an All-Star and All-NBA eight times apiece in addition to being a member of the All-Defensive squad five times. These achievements should make Howard a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

One of the reasons why Dwight Howard isn't considered to be a Hall of Famer is because of how freely he deals with things. Howard is someone who likes to joke around and be the clown. That shouldn't affect his case for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, however.