Video: Dwight Howard needed a hug, so a fan welcomed him with open arms

For reasons mostly within his own control, Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard’s trademark smile hasn’t been as ever-present as it was in an earlier stage of his career, but he found it for a fleeting moment.

With his team on the verge of scoring a season-high 73 points in the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers, the 6-foot-11, 240-pound Howard chased down an errant James Harden 3-pointer and — instead of slowing down for a ball that was well beyond his considerable reach — dove headfirst into a bear hug with a Houston fan in the second row who enjoyed the embrace just as much as the player did.

Either Howard needed a soft landing spot that this blue button-downed was happy to provide or this is part of the NBA’s holiday plan to thank fans for their support. Either way, Howard needed a hug, and hopefully players like Kendrick Perkins, Chris Andersen and Joakim Noah offer up diving hugs on Christmas Day, too.

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach