A prime Dwight Howard was one of the greatest rim protectors of all time but a sophomore 6-foot Chris Paul caught him early on a poster.
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At 6’0 there aren’t many options for a guard when he runs the floor than to find someone open and pass them the ball or take it upon himself to make way for a layup or a jump shot.
But Chris Paul wasn’t going to stop at that, he wanted to do it all when he came into the league. That included dunking. And that too dunking over a young 3x Defensive Player of the Year to-be center.
Back in 2006, when a New Orleans Pelicans sophomore was facing the Orlando Magic who thought they had drafted the second coming of Shaquille O’Neal in 2004, were reminded by Paul to not get their hopes too high.
When Chris Paul posterized Dwight Howard
A 6ft 10’ center, Howard was clearly looking like he was going to be a star in the league but even though he was somewhat aggressive he was called out a lot for being a little soft and especially after he moved to the Lakers.
This play can be one of the reasons for most who are firm believers of that.
Hilarious enough, CP3 still uses that dunk to show kids what he could do. “That was when I dunked on Dwight Howard. That was in Orlando. … That was an and-one. … And anytime kids ask if I can dunk, I tell them to YouTube this.” Paul said.
That dunk might be the reason for a rivalry between the two over the years, and Howard spoke about it some years back as well.
“Chris Paul and I should have a conversation and talk about what’s wrong with us. There has always been some kind of beef, but I don’t know why. Maybe when he dunked on me when I was playing in Orlando (laughs)? He didn’t do anything to p—s me off, but it’s like we’re constantly mad at each other. Suddenly, I blame him and want to rip his head off. Then it is he who looks at me with big eyes, etc … In any case, I want to make sure that this situation changes to set an example for people and children.”
Also read: 6ft 6′ Draymond Green reveals his NBA all-time starting 5
