ATLANTA -- Dwight Howard watched Kent Bazemore choke up with emotion and sn did the same.Returning to Atlanta means a lot.My prayers are answered, Howard said. Im home. Im with my family, so thank you.Howard has a new team, a new jersey number and a fresh start in his hometown.After five mostly disappointing years with Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers after leaving Orlando, Howard says this time will be different. Atlanta is where he belongs.The Hawks hosted a homecoming Wednesday for Howard, a three-time NBA and welcomed back Bazemore at a youth recreation center in southwest Atlanta where Howard grew up. The gymnasium was packed with children, family members and friends.This was all about a new beginning for Howard, who has switched his number from No. 12 to No. 8 for biblical inspiration. In the Bible, number eight signifies resurrection and regeneration. Howard says the number will motivate him as he gets in shape and changes his outlk on life this summer.One of the things biblically is the purging of the heart and throughout the years there are things that have happened behind closed drs that it really hardened my heart towards different situations, Howard later told reporters. I really have to purge my heart and come at basketball in a different manner. I was very upset with how things turned out and what people were saying. I hardened my heart towards everybody.Orlando drafted Howard No. 1 overall out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Schl in 2004. He became one of the NBAs elite big men over the next few years, leading the Magic to the 2009 NBA finals and ranking first in rebounds for five seasons and ranking second in another.But Howards time in central Florida ended bitterly after a falling out with coach Stan Van Gundy. He joined Kobe Bryant for one difficult season with the Lakers and slipped occasionally into mediocrity over his last three years with Houston.The Hawks, who have signed him to a three-year, $70.5 million contract, believed the time was right to bring Howard aboard.He can have a huge, positive impact, coach and team president Mike Budenholzer said. He can take us to another level if he and everybody are kind of playing and understanding their roles. We feel like it can be special.Budenholzer doesnt seem concerned that Howard is step back offensively compared Al Horford, a longtime fan favorite who left in free agency for Boston.Budenholzer compared Howards inside presence somewhat to retired San Antonio center Tim Duncan. Howard doesnt have Duncans or Horfords shting touch, but Budenholzer said Howards 6-ft-10, 265-pound frame is ideal for what the Hawks want to accomplish on both ends of the court.Hes more of a traditional center, Budenholzer said. Its been clear hes been one of the top defenders in our league for a long time. Offensively, hes somebody whos a presence inside, whos putting pressure on the rim whether it be in pick-and-rolls or post-ups. It will probably be something more like what San Antonio had for the majority of time I was there as an assistant coach.Bazemore, whos played the last two seasons in Atlanta, returned to the Hawks with a four-year, $70 million contract. He visited Houston, where he said James Harden, Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler each made a pitch, but staying in Atlanta was his preference.Wiping back tears, Bazemore called it one of the highlights of my life to build relationships in the local community.I play for you guys every night wearing Atlanta across my chest, Bazemore told the gym. It means more than just a jersey. I feel your pain here. I love the grit that this area gives off. Coming here to talk to the kids, I was here a couple of weeks ago for the court unveiling. To see the progress theyve made over the years is what Im all about.Howard cried when it was his first turn to speak.This building is where I spent a lot of time working on my game and wanting it to make it to the NBA, Howard said. This brings back chills. This area was home for me. My schl is two minutes away.Every morning at 4 a.m., my dad and my cousin were back there with me on the track, trying to make it to the NBA. Its great. A man told me, `If you want to get back to the top, youve got to go back to your rts. Cheap MLB Jerseys From China . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in ftball after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to lk at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Discount MLB Jerseys . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ .ca lks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Fake Nike MLB Jerseys . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. MLB Jerseys China . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. MINNEAPOLIS -- It doesnt take long for Maya Mre to recognize when teammate Seimone Augustus has found her grve.Those dreads get to popping, nostrils get to flaring, Mre said, a big smile creasing her face. I mean, my nostrils flare, t. Were both nostril-flaring kind of players. Just that lk in her eye.And to think, if at least one team had its way, Augustus never would have been there for the Lynx in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night, when her fourth-quarter scoring flurry helped Minnesota turn back a rally by the Los Angeles Sparks and even the best-of-five series at one game apiece.In the spring of 2011, the Lynx were a team that had never won a playoff series in their 12 years of existence. After they chose Mre with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, second-year coach Cheryl Reeve said she got a call from Augustus, the teams longest-tenured and most accomplished star.Other teams called her tampering with her, tried to lure her away and said, `Hey its going to be Maya Mres team. Its not going to be your team. You should probably leave now, Reeve recalled this week. When `Mone called me and told me, that was a sign of her selflessness.That attitude has embodied the Lynx during their run to five WNBA Finals appearances in the last six years. They are a team packed with All-Stars, including four Olympians for Team USA that have shared the spotlight and watched their individual statistics dip in deference to group success.As the finals shift to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4, the Lynx are two wins away from becoming the first back-to-back champions since 2002. It would also give Minnesota its fourth title overall, which would be tied with the Houston Comets for most in league history.Reeve declined to name the team that allegedly tampered with Augustus, but said the same organization has shown a pattern of flouting the rules over the years. In one instance, Reeve said the Lynx logged a complaint with WNBA security after one of the opponents ball kids was caught leaning in to team huddles during the game to eavesdrop. Reeve also said the opponent has been known to send a team employee into the visitors locker rm after the game has started to take photos of the strategies drawn on white boards in the rm.ddddddddddddeeve said she has had conversations with the coach to smth things out, but has spread the word to other teams to be on the lkout for suspicious practices.This group of people, as it turns out, they do things a little more shadily, if you will, Reeve said. It was a pattern that I was alerted to then. I think more than anything what I got out of it is Seimones loyalty. She didnt have to tell us. Im sure a lot of players get that. But Ive just become more aware and we keep our eyes on it. Overall we got a kick out of it because of Seimones reaction to them. They lked bad.Augustus did stay with the Lynx and together they won their first championship in Mres rkie season. They also won titles in 2013 and 2015.Seimone has always been committed to this franchise, Reeve said. Even when times were a little more lean and she was frustrated, shes always been committed to it.Augustus did not play well in their series-opening loss to the Sparks. But she rebounded to score 14 points in an emphatic 79-60 victory in Game 2 that tied the series. Nine of those points came in the fourth quarter after the Sparks had whittled a 17-point deficit to just three points in the third.We were in this position before last year, and the thing for us is we know what we needed to do, Augustus said. Not saying that LA didnt capitalize on the mistakes that we made, but there were a lot of empty possessions where they were able to get out in transition and spark their offense, a lot of defensive possessions where we had a lot of miscommunication. Those are simple things that we can clean up, but those are key details that can cost you the game.As the Lynx head to LA for Game 3 on Friday night, they dont have to worry about the Sparks pulling any tricks on them.That other team, Reeve said with a grin, didnt make it this far.Im a big karma person, she said. And karma has caught up to them in different ways. ' ' '