BlueTriton’s Sneaky Ploy With Kids

As Dwight Howard winds down his NBA career, the Los Angeles Lakers center is looking at ways he can build his legacy off the court. In an effort to bolster his newly formed Grand Champions Foundation, Howard has partnered with Arrowhead Water for a multi-year sponsorship deal. It is one that will have an immediate impact on the surrounding Los Angeles community.

Part of the $500,000 deal will include Arrowhead making a $75,000 contribution to Howard’s Grand Champions Foundation. K.C. Blinn, Blue Triton Brands Vice President of Marketing said Howard’s strong commitment to community building was the deciding factor to pursue the relationship.

“What was different about Dwight and his team was that they came with a community first and give back direction to it,” Blinn said. “They really wanted to be a part of leaving a legacy here in Los Angeles.”

Howard is excited about what these updated basketball courts will do for the community. He hopes the kids will find the same comfort in the courts that he experienced growing up.

“Through these basketball courts, we can bring more people together and give them a safe haven—a place to go to just call home and be at peace,” Howard said. “Basketball is my sanctuary, it’s where I have the most fun. I can be myself, smile,  laugh and have a great time. That’s what we want to to provide for these kids. I think these courts will do the exact same thing for me that it will do for a million kids in L.A.”

For Howard, who has made over $246 million during his career according to Baseketball-Reference.com, this deal with Arrowhead is not about padding his coffers. This is an opportunity to establish an off-the-court tradition through his Grand Champions Foundation.

“In the short term, we want to build the community and grow first the name, Grand Champions,” he said. “In the long term we really just want to change kids’ lives. Everyone needs to know they are great, and there’s greatness inside of them. You want to be able to pull that greatness out through different outreach programs and help them. It’s something that has been in my heart for years, is to really have something that can be a staple, like how Arrowhead has been in the community.”

Howard has been very active with previous foundations in his home state of Georgia, where he’s had the opportunity to work directly with kids from distressed urban environments. He’s watching them fall victim to the streets, something he’s trying to turn around.

“These kids, it’s very hard for them to really find their way out of the community that they live in,” he said. “They’re forced to grow up at a very early age. We’ve got to be able to provide these kids with a blueprint and different opportunities to be able to find a niche; a way to get out and then be able to come back to help other kids too. I’ve witnessed some of these kids actually pass away in the past couple of years due to stuff that teenagers shouldn’t have to go through, like watching a 14-year-old friend get shot and pass away right in front of them. Things like that are very tough to see.”

One of the programs Howard’s foundation created is the Waterboys Entrepreneurship Program, where participants are taught business skills through selling water. Not only was this an obvious connection for Arrowhead, but Howard feels the program can give these kids a concrete path to achieving success.

“During the summer when I spend time with these kids, I talk to them, trying to motivate and inspire them,” he said. “It’s very tough to get lifted out of the streets and do this without having a plan. So I got a plan together. Let me show these kids a way, a blueprint so they can be successful in whatever field that they want to be successful in, instead of just saying, hey, ‘You’ve got to get off the streets.’”

Howard’s On-Court Legacy

As Howard plays through his 18th NBA season, he paused to reflect on his hardwood legacy as he envisioned his foundation’s work. He emphasized how he made sure to leave it all on the court, while doing it with a smile, something that he felt was misinterpreted throughout his career.

“I always made sure my whole career that no matter what was going on around me, no matter how hard it got, no matter if we lost, no matter if it was intense, I could smile knowing I gave it my all,” he said. “Some people probably took that the wrong way, that I wasn’t taking it seriously, but for me, I never let one of the enemies steal my joy. No matter how hard it got, I’m going to smile through it and I’m going to work through it.”

He hopes when fans look back on his NBA tenure, they will regard Howard not only as a NBA champion, but also one who had an industrious approach on the court. It’s something he looks forward to inspiring within the next generation through his foundation’s efforts.

“[I want them to say] he never changed,” he said. “He was always working hard, he played with heart every single night. Every time I step into that arena, all the fans, even the people that work there, they always said, ‘Man, you work so hard, and we appreciate you for just working hard every single night and doing it with a smile on your face.’ … That’s the legacy right there, being the hardest worker.”