With his incredible bag of post moves, Hakeem Olajuwon didn’t just win two championships, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, and a regular season MVP; he created a reputation as possibly the greatest low block scorer of all time. Like many others, Dwight Howard wanted to leverage Olajuwon’s wealth of experience, but the ‘Superman’ seemingly couldn’t keep up with ‘The Dream’.
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Houston-based comedian Ali Siddiq spilled the beans on Howard’s training with Olajuwon. “It’s only one person that did not complete that program. They came to him and didn’t complete the program. Dwight Howard,” Siddiq revealed during his appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn.
“Olajuwon is giving you a gift. He don’t need your bread. He took his time out to give you something, and you’re better for it — when you come get it. Even though he overlooked,” the 51-year-old comedian said.
Ali Siddiq tells how Dwight Howard botched Hakeem Olajuwon’s workouts in Houston 😅
“It’s only one person who didn’t complete that program … Dwight Howard.” pic.twitter.com/2D0dMKIauu
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) January 2, 2025
Yao Ming, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James are among the top players who opted for personal training sessions with Olajuwon. While some fans questioned whether the training helped these superstars, they all finished his training program except for Howard.
From 2010 to 2013, Howard enlisted the services of the Rockets legend to polish his post-game and make him a more reliable threat in the half-court. Though the former #1 pick would succeed in increasing his mid-range attempts, Howard’s overall offensive production did not see any significant changes.
Now we know that part of the reason is that the eight-time All-Star never completed Olajuwon’s program. In 2013, when DH12 joined Olajuwon’s former team in Houston, the Hall of Famer took on a more official role in his development. However, early into his first season as a Rocket, Howard was already disappointing Olajuwon.
“I wish he was doing a better job,” Olajuwon said about Howard’s offensive growth.
“When he gets the ball, he seems to be taking his time to decide what move to make… There should not be a delay for Dwight.”
After being successful in Orlando, expectations were lofty when Howard joined Bryant at the Lakers. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear to fans that DH was an ineffective option in half-court offense.
When Robert Horry gave Howard ‘no chance against Olajuwon’
Outside of transition dunks, pick-and-rolls, or the occasional running hook, Howard didn’t possess the ability to create his own offense. For this reason, former Lakers player Robert Horry was quick to dismiss any comparisons between Howard and Olajuwon.
“Dwight is a great player, but there are things certain players can and can’t do, and Hakeem could do a lot,” the seven-time NBA champion argued when Howard joined the Rockets in 2013.
“Dwight would have no chance against Olajuwon. Howard is a good player, but his offensive skills are limited.”
Olajuwon reflected on how Howard failed to fully inculcate the learnings from their summer workouts. He shared that Howard would only attempt the new moves during pre-season games but would quickly fall back into his old habits during the regular season.
Though the three-time Defensive Player of the Year did achieve significant success in the league without improving his post-scoring, it certainly limited the ceiling on his potential. And in a hypothetical matchup against ‘The Dream’, his limited offense would undoubtedly put Howard at a disadvantage.
