Howard to have season-ending back surgery

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard will officially shut down his season and have surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.

He will have surgery on Friday in Los Angeles to repair problems he has experienced since early March, according to ESPN.com. The procedure will also end Howard’s hopes of taking part in the 2012 Olympics in London.

"I tried to play through it and it just made my back worse," Howard told.

The decision to have surgery was not the only Howard news of the day.

A report from WKMG in Orlando said Howard told Magic owner Rich DeVos that he wouldn’t finish the season if he had to play for Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.

"It's a completely made-up, B.S. story," a Howard representative told.

Dan Fegan, Howard’s agent, said he hoped the severity of the injury put all speculation to rest.

"Dwight has never laid down once in his entire career," Fegan said to ESPN.com. "It's absurd that some publicly, and others privately, speculated that Dwight was laying down or quitting. In fact, he was working his hardest to play through an injury which now requires surgery."

Howard missed eight games this season due to back problems, after sitting out only seven games for his first seven seasons in the NBA.

After demanding trades during the early stages of the season, Howard decided to opt into his contract before the trade deadline when threatened with the possibility of being moved, ESPN learned through sources. Howard will be with the Magic through the 2012-13 and become a free agent at the end of that season.