Magic center Dwight Howard believes that he is a changed man after winning a gold medal with Team USA in Beijing, according to Orlando Sentinel.

"It's great being around the kids and just getting to come back to the states," Howard said. "I just missed it so much, and you just appreciate life being in China. You miss your friends and your family, going a month-and-a-half not seeing the people I love. I'm just glad to be back in America."

Howard couldn't believe how famous he and his teammates were halfway across the world.

"They treated us like the Beatles over there," he said. "It was ridiculous. Everywhere you went was just a crowd of people. And the people there are so great. They're disciplined, they work really hard, and they love taking pictures. Everybody's got a camera, so all they did was take a lot of pictures."