Hall of Famer Dwight Howard has always been the kind to mess around, and he was at it again recently. Content creator Deric Eze asked Howard to share his list of the five greatest players of all time, and he left out one big name.
“Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar… I got two more,” Howard said. “… Kobe [Bryant]… I gotta put Shaquille O’Neal.”
A shocked Eze questioned why Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James wasn’t on the list, and Howard hilariously admitted he was “rage-baiting.”
“I wanted to make y’all mad, so that’s why I ain’t say it,” Howard stated. “… Clickbait, rage-bait, all that. They finna be mad, ‘What? He didn’t have LeBron? Oh my god, I’m so mad.'”
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Howard didn’t share here what his actual list would be, but he has spoken about a top four in the past. He had ranked James at third and Kobe Bryant at fourth back in 2023. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the one at the very top, followed by Michael Jordan.
Howard had named Abdul-Jabbar as his GOAT during his Hall of Fame speech as well. He is not a bad pick.
Abdul-Jabbar won six titles, two Finals MVPs, six MVPs, and two scoring titles in his career. He made 19 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 11 All-Defensive teams. Abdul-Jabbar might well be widely regarded as the GOAT today, if not for the two men who come after him on Howard’s original list.
Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles. He made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams. Jordan holds the record for the highest scoring average in the regular season (30.1) and playoffs (33.4), and is the most popular pick for that GOAT title today.
James is seen as his closest challenger, and he has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title. He has made 21 All-NBA and six All-Defensive teams, and was just named an All-Star for the 22nd time in his career. James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and his longevity is unmatched.
Unlike with Abdul-Jabbar and Jordan, Howard did get to play with James, and he also played alongside Bryant. The late-great Lakers icon won five titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles. Bryant made 18 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 12 All-Defensive teams.
Getting back to Howard’s latest troll list, the two other players he mentioned certainly wouldn’t be out of place next to these four.
Wilt Chamberlain won two titles, one Finals MVP, four MVPs, and seven scoring titles. Chamberlain made 13 All-Star, 10 All-NBA, and two All-Defensive teams.
Lastly, we get to Shaquille O’Neal, whom Howard probably wouldn’t have mentioned a year ago, as they were still beefing. They have mended fences now, though, so it wasn’t a surprise that he picked O’Neal, who won four titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles. He made 15 All-Star, 14 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams.
You can make a case for every player Howard mentioned to be in the top five. They are among the very best to have ever stepped foot on the court.
