The GOAT debate often boils down to one side arguing LeBron James’ case and the other offering rebuttals and claiming Michael Jordan will forever hold the throne. However, Dwight Howard is among the handful who believe that neither is the greatest ever.
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On the Above the Rim podcast, the former Lakers stars made a case for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s GOAT. He noted that the legendary center has the stats and accolades and even dominated with two different names. Howard said,
“My personal 1A GOAT Kareem Abdul-Jabbar… He got the greatest stat line probably, and he should be the greatest with all the stuff he got… He won at every level, first of all, he won with two different names, didn’t he? He was the greatest Lew Alcindor in the world then changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.”
Kareem definitely has a persuasive case as the NBA’s GOAT. He holds the record for most MVP award wins with six. He also won six championships, was named the Finals MVP twice, and earned an All-NBA First-Team nod 10 times.
The center was a beacon of consistency throughout his career. He lodged 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 55.9% in 1506 appearances across 20 seasons. Meanwhile, he put up an imposing 24.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 53.3% shooting in 237 playoff games.
Additionally, he averaged 2.6 blocks per game in the regular season and 2.4 in playoffs. However, the NBA did not register blocks as an official stat before the 1973-74 season. Kareem’s average could’ve potentially been higher than it already is.
Howard picking the Lakers icon as the greatest ever might be a bit biased. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was also a two-way center in his prime and won a championship in purple and gold like Kareem. However, the Hall of Famer was rather critical of Howard’s first Lakers tenure which lasted only one season.
Kareem called out Howard for his lack of effort
The former Magic star joined the Lakers in 2012 and was expected to form a strong partnership with Kobe Bryant that would help the Lakers win multiple championships. However, he had an underwhelming season in LA and surprisingly left the team in free agency in 2013.
Kareem, who mentored the center during his sole campaign with the Lakers, wasn’t too fond of his work ethic. In an interview in 2017, the six-time MVP said,
“Well, Dwight Howard didn’t want to do any work… I’m not going to say anything about him because I really don’t understand what his thing was”
Despite the Hall of Famer’s criticism, Howard has no qualms in claiming he’s the greatest ever. Perhaps, he did not mind Kareem’s words because there was some truth to it.
