Snoop Lion, L.A. City council celebrate “Dwight Howard Day”

The moment he walked out of a hotel elevator, Dwight Howard spotted someone well whose name rolls off the tip of everyone’s tongue in both Long Beach and the hip hop community.

Snoop Dogg.

The two were in San Diego two years ago for the Comic Con, the nation’s largest comic book convention. Howard sounded hurt Snoop sported a Lakers jersey instead of his own.

“Hey man,” Howard said, “why don’t you have my jersey on?”

“You got on the wrong jersey,” Snoop said in his signature smooth voice. “You need to be in that purple and gold.”

Incidentally enough, Howard now wears a Lakers jersey. And in a ceremony last Wednesday at City Hall, Snoop Dogg (now as Snoop Lion) presented 6-foot, 10-inch-tall framed resolution proclaiming “Dwight Howard” day.

“We do hereby declare November 14, 2012 as Dwight Howard Day in the city of Los Angeles,” read Snoop Lion from a statement.

Of course, this sparks questions on why council members Bernard C. Parks and Jan Perry would initiate this motion instead of something – ahem – far more important. But a news release from Parks highlighted Howard’s efforts with his foundation, which provides scholarships for students to attend Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy and grants to Lovell Elementary School and Memorial Middle School in Orlando, Fla.

Howard, who’s averaged 20.3 points on 61.8 percent shooting and 11.7 rebounds through 11 games, then returned the favor by offering his strongest public endorsement yet that he’d stay with the Lakers after becoming a free agent this offseason.

“Our team is working extremely hard so we can bring another championship to L.A. That’s our goal, that’s our plan,” Howard said. But our biggest plan is to makes sure that we bring the city together. One way we can do that is by winning games and also getting out in the community. Hopefully I’ll be doing it here for a long time.”

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