The gym at the William Walker Recreation Center in Ben Hill was staged for a classic homecoming pep rally. Music boomed over the PA system. Kids packed every seat in the bleachers and waved homemade signs. As their cheers caromed to every corner of the gym, down below on the floor, cheerleaders flipped and cartwheeled acrobatically.
Moments later, Dwight Howard stepped down through the bleachers and into a hometown hero's welcome as the newest member of the Atlanta Hawks.
"I'm just happy to be home," Howard said. "This place right here, this building, is where I spent a lot of time working on my game.