Former NBA star Dwight Howard would take “prime Dwight Howard” over “prime Nikola Jokic.”
The future Hall of Famer said he would dominate the Denver Nuggets superstar.
“Prime Dwight Howard,” Howard told Chandler Parsons on FanDuel TV. “All day. All day, every day. I’m dominating every play with a smile on my face.”
Howard was a force of nature during his prime with the Orlando Magic. The Atlanta native averaged 20.6 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks from 2007-08 to 2011-12. Howard won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards with the Magic, four rebounding titles and two blocks titles.
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Nikola Jokic & Denver Nuggets Updates
Jokic is a triple-double threat, while Howard was more of a two-way player during his prime. It would have been fun to watch The Joker and Superman go against each other during Howard’s prime.
Howard finished his NBA career with averages of 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks with the Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. He made eight All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams and five All-Defensive teams.
The Lakers beat the Miami Heat in the 2020 Finals at the Walt Disney World bubble. Howard was on that LA team and finally won a championship. Ironically, the Lakers defeated Jokic and the Nuggets in the 2020 Western Conference Finals in five games.
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Nikola Jokic & Denver Nuggets Updates
The Nuggets are in the 2023 NBA Finals. They are playing Jimmy Butler and the Heat. Jokic is averaging a triple-double in the 2023 postseason. He’s putting up 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game.
Denver is the betting favorite to beat Miami in the Finals. However, Jokic doesn’t agree with Vegas.
“I think we are not the favorite,” Jokic said. “I think in the Finals there is no favorites. This is going to be the hardest game of our life, and we know that. We are prepared for that. We are prepared for that. So I think there is no favorites. Definitely, I think we are not favorites in this series. I think they’re not either. I think it’s just the Finals. There is no favorites in the Finals, in my opinion.”
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