Dwight Howard loves to dunk. Whether he’s wheeling out a 12-foot rim in the dunk contest or crowning another wannabe center in the lane, Howard has his own flair. He loves to flex and lift weights like he’s in a competition, and his dunks normally reflect that: the Superman jam started by Shaquille O’Neal has been continued on by Howard. He’s always gotten criticized for his offensive game, but he does dunk very effectively. Last season, he led the league with 227 crams.
There have been some comparisons between Howard and Andrew Bynum, and tonight the two of them meet on the floor for the first time all year. If Dwight has even an ounce of dog in him, he’ll crown Bynum so hard that no one will ever be able to justify a comparison like this again. In honor of the matchup, here are the top five dunks of Dwight Howard’s career.
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5. Dwight Howard Turns Brian Skinner Into A Birthday Present (December 8, 2008)
Wrapped up and sealed for you, Superman: a big, burly backup center with crazy, King Tut facial hair just waiting to get smashed on. Howard went off in this game for 23 points and 22 rebounds, obviously offended that instead of Marcus Camby, the Clippers spent most of the night using Skinner, Zach Randolph and a baby DeAndre Jordan as bowling ball pins. Let it be known that Mike Dunleavy Sr. wasn’t always the smartest coach. Did you know they have an actual Brian Skinner mix on YouTube? I had originally suspected that Skinner only jumped to block this in an effort to get himself some shine – any shine – on the Internet.
4. Dwight Howard over Katrina, New Orleans, Hilton Armstrong and Chris Paul (February 18, 2009)
“I saw the pass coming the whole way. I figured I could tip it, break it up or do something. I’m a pretty good player, and I have some hops – remember I dunked on Dwight once – so I thought I could time it.” – Paul, realizing what a mistake he made. He didn’t really say that, but he should’ve. He could’ve saved face. Instead, he fouled Howard and got smashed on. Badly. CP3 got the last laugh though. New Orleans won the game by 32.
3. Dwight Howard Claims Jrue Holiday As His Child (April 11, 2011)
Howard didn’t get the Sixers just once in this game. He got them twice, and this was the capper. The term “getting dunked on” is used too loosely nowadays. With that BS charge rule, and the restricted lane, there are significantly less meetings at the summit. No one wants to jump and get called for a foul anymore. Better to flop and get a charge call. But Howard found a way around it: Get a lob, and then jump from higher and farther out than anyone else. If I’m Jrue, I would’ve faked an injury after this one. It was so nasty Andre Iguodala, dressed like a 6-7 bank teller on the Sixer bench, had to stand up and catch his emotions.
2. Dwight Howard Offers Tim Duncan Retirement Papers (Feb. 9, 2007)
“Thank God we have an unbelievable athlete capable of making an unbelievable play like that,” Magic coach Brian Hill realizing his luck, us realizing why he was run out of Orlando twice. This might’ve been the night Duncan discovered his mortality. He was in perfect position, saw the pass coming but couldn’t get off the ground. Props to Hedo Turkoglu for a nearly-perfect pass. This also happened to be the first game-winning shot for Howard at any level. Cherry popped.
1. Dwight Howard Nearly Pops His Shoulder Out Dunking On All Of Boston (March 17, 2006)
Trust me, if you can get Mike Gorman and Tommy to give you props as an opposing player on a Boston telecast, you know you did something special. Ironically, Howard’s energy level on this night was inspired by Darko. “I’ve been watching Darko block shots the last couple of games and I just tried to do some of the same things tonight,” Howard once said. The Celtics were coming off a game the night before in Miami, and must’ve left some of their juice on South Beach. Howard took the rest of it.
What do you think was the best dunk of Howard’s career?
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