How Juwan spent his summer vacation

This may be the NBA offseason, but it has been a busy time for Nuggets forward Juwan Howard. Nuggets.com’s Jonathan Goldstein sat down with Howard following a summer workout session to find out what has kept him so busy, and to get his thoughts on his new head coach, new teammates and new role with the team. The former “Fab Five” star at Michigan will be entering his ninth NBA season, and first full one with the Nuggets. Acquired from Dallas in a midseason trade, Howard averaged 17.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 28 games with the Nuggets last season.

JG: “I know that you have been very busy this summer working with the community in your hometown of Chicago. Can you tell me a little bit about what you’ve been up to?”
JUWAN: “Yes. When I first started out I had my basketball camp. And my basketball camp wasn’t just talking about basketball. My foundation teamed up with the Chicago Public School System and what we did was have a free basketball camp throughout the whole week. The kids went from the age of eight to 14. We also had it where the kids were able to go to class. We had computers set up for them where they could become acquainted with using a computer, and they could take practice tests on the computers. And also we taught life skills. We had a section where it was all about teaching them what goes on in daily life, what they had to face outside of basketball. We talked about gangs, drugs and staying away from those types of distractions, how to keep up your hygiene and also about nutritional foods and eating right. That was a nice exciting week and the kids got a lot out of it. That was the most important thing. As long as they got a lot out of it, it put a smile on my face. All we were trying to do is just help make a difference.

Then also we had another thing that came up. It is a charity that I have been involved with ever since I came out of high school. It is a support group that has raised over $300,000. Throughout that entire weekend they had a celebrity golf tournament, a charity basketball tournament with a lot of NBA stars including Jalen Rose (Chicago Bulls), Michael Finley (Dallas Mavericks), Tim Hardaway (former Nugget), Chris Webber (Sacramento Kings), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Antoine Walker (Boston Celtics), Jerry Stackhouse (Detroit Pistons) and many more. All the money they raised went towards various charities in the Chicago area – schools, homeless shelters - so it was all for a great cause.

So I’ve been busy doing that and along with that I also got married. I got married July 6th. It was in Turks and Caicos, an island outside the Bahamas. And then from there I went to Europe for like two weeks for my honeymoon.

So I had a busy summer, but along with that I made sure I was working out too. I didn’t lose perspective. And I was trying to help the team and get better as a basketball player.”

JG: “You were the first player in NBA history to leave school early for the draft and still graduate on time (B.A. in Communications, Michigan ’95). How important was it for you to get your degree, not only for you, but in your position as a role model?”
JUWAN: “It was very important for me. One, to set a good example for my family members. Because not too many of my family members have graduated from college. I wanted to be sure that my kids, for one, know that their “Pops” graduated from college and they can do the same thing. And if I’m going to go out and tell them they need to go to college and finish up and get their degree, they’re going to look at me ‘Did you do it?’ Yes I did, so I have bragging rights.

Secondly, yes, it is inspiring for a lot of youth out there across America to know that I am an athlete that put education first. Hopefully some others can take notice of that and take advantage of that opportunity, because I took advantage of mine.”

JG: “I know that a lot of the team has been in here working out and, I know you weren’t here last offseason, but that wasn’t really going on here last year. How important was it for you to get in here and get to know the new guys and start working with them?”
JUWAN: “Well, I think it was very important. These guys are my teammates and we’re going to be going to war for 82 games – hopefully we’ll get to play even more than that. But there are a lot of new faces and I think it was important for all of us to get to know each other and also the new coaching staff. To get a jump start, because with training camp, along with the preseason, you only get a month, to try and gel as a team. That’s not enough time with us having a young group and so much to learn. As far as personnel, as far as details of what we need to do as a team out there defensively and offensively, and for them to just get to know the NBA schedule as a whole. So I think it is very important, as a veteran, to come out here and show leadership and to let the guys know that I’ve been working hard, and let them know that we are all in this together for the long haul.”

JG: “Have you talked to Jeff Bzdelik (new Nuggets head coach) yet, and has he told you what he will be expecting from you?”
JUWAN: “Absolutely. We had a good talk yesterday and he is looking for me to be a leader of this team. He was telling me ‘You are a veteran and I want you to be one of the leaders on this team and lead by example,’ with my work ethic and leadership qualities. I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to work with a lot of the new guys here and some of the young guys that are new to this league, and also some of the older veterans. Because I know last year everything was rushed. I came here halfway through the season. Those were some changes that the organization made. Some guys were looking at this as a negative place to play and it had a lot of negative energy. Now I think a lot of that has left the building. Negative energy. I’m not talking about the guys, I’m talking about negative energy, period. So we are looking for a nice exciting season.”

JG: “This is your third stop. You went through some losing in Washington and then went to a team on the rise in Dallas. Is it tough to come back to a team that is trying to rebuild and start fresh?”
JUWAN: “I think it is a nice challenge. It is a really nice challenge to come play for a team that is looking to rebuild. One good thing about me is that I am still young. I’m not like one of those older veterans who is on the down years of his career. Yes, I have been on a team that’s been through a situation like this before in Washington. But it was nice when we brought Washington back to a winning atmosphere. Then after that, after some trades that happened, it kind of slipped away again. Despite all that you have to be positive. You’ve got to look at this as this best job in America. But not only that, I don’t look at it as just a job. This is a game that I really appreciate and I enjoy. It’s a dream come true for me. And I still have a lot of ball to play.”

JG: “You are 29 years old, and will turn 30 this season (February 7). You have teammates in Skeeta (Nikoloz Tskitishvili) and Nene (Hilario) who are only 19. How are you a different player now than you were 10 years ago?”
JUWAN: “I’ll tell you one thing, I’m more experienced. I’ve played a lot of years in this league (1994-present) so that right there goes a long way. As far as teaching, I can teach those guys some things that I’ve learned along with the coaching staff. The coaching staff is going to look for older veteran players to help out, especially, for example, in the locker room where we spend a lot of time together as a team. That’s something that they look upon me to be a leader at. Then also in practice, to lead by example. I think the younger guys may see an older veteran like myself out there competing and playing hard. They may look at that and say ‘Wow. Here’s a guy who’s been in the league and could be settled and happy with his position but he’s still out there working hard.’ That’s what it’s all about. Sharing your knowledge with others.”