Hall of Famer Dwight Howard is coming under fire on social media for making a rather controversial suggestion. Howard took to X on Sunday to state that he thinks U.S. President Donald Trump should impose one year of mandatory military service in the country.
“Random. I honestly feel like the president should make one year of service mandatory for everyone born in America. A lot of other countries do it. And I think it would help with discipline and structure. I’m curious what yall think would this help America or nah.”
This is something that is done in a fair few countries around the world. Notably, Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen served in the Finnish military back in 2023.
The U.S., though, has never opted to go down this route. The draft system did exist, primarily for wartime, but that was it. Active conscription ended in January 1973, and an all-volunteer system has been in place since. It’s safe to say that many would like it to stay that way.
“Millionaire who has never served and now has aged out of the possibility of serving thinks you should HAVE to be in the military now,” one individual ripped Howard.
“America is a ‘free’ nation for a reason… No,” said another.
“I feel like that spits in the face of everything that this country stands for,” one individual felt.
“Coming from a guy who never served his country and now wants to force all Americans into military service. Give me a break,” another said.
“Discipline comes from within, not a government mandate. Free people don’t need to be conscripted to serve. Offer incentives for voluntary service (tax breaks, training) and watch people step up,” an individual stated.
“Bro, did you serve in the military? Cause if not, just s**u about it. Plenty other ways to establish discipline and good habits,” an individual made it clear.
Howard did respond to that last X user.
“Ion think I need to do s***, but keep speaking my mind. If all the other ways was so good. Why are we still as a country going thru the same issues as far as discipline and structure?”
Howard wasn’t backing down, and while he did get some support, the majority were against it. There are definitely other ways to instil discipline and structure in people than forcing them into military service. That is the most extreme method.
The fact that a millionaire like Howard was saying this only made it worse in the eyes of some users. He had spent 18 seasons in the NBA during which he won a championship and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. Howard’s success on the court led to him making about $245 million in salaries, according to Spotrac.
