Dwight Howard is looking forward to his new opportunity with the Atlanta Hawks.

"Grant Hill was a big part of the process," Howard said of the former All-Star and current minority owner of the franchise.

"For somebody like [Hill] to believe in me, [Hawks general] Wes Wilcox and Bud (Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer) -- for all of these guys to have that belief in me just gave me more confidence.

"After the season, I was a little bit down for a couple days," Howard admitted. He credits the Hawks' interest when free agency began July 1 to help him start feeling "really good about myself again."