Dwight Howard Says He Was Better Than Nikola Jokić, Calls Himself Top-10 Center Ever

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Dwight Howard was one of his era’s most dominant centers. But he believes he would more than dominate this era as well, telling Zion Olojede of Complex that he believes he was better in his prime than the current version of two-time MVP and champion Nikola Jokić.

“Obviously, people going to say Jokić can score. He got all those offensive skills,” Howard said. “But at the same time, I was getting 38 and 20, 45-18, 19, 20, and I’m doing all this with twos. No threes. All twos. I’m doing this with lobs. I’m not getting a lot of post-up attempts like Jokić. He’s getting way more opportunities.

“… I don’t want people to think that I’m trying to hate even comparing, but I’m going to take myself. I know how dominant I was and I know what I could do with my skills.”

This, of course, ignores that Jokić is arguably the greatest playmaking center of all time and just averaged 9.8 assists per game in the 2022-23 campaign. He’s basically a triple-double threat every time he steps on the court and one of the most unique talents the position has ever seen.

Regardless, Howard himself was a force during his prime, with eight All-Star appearances, five first-team All-NBA selections, four first-team All-Defensive team selections, three Defensive Player of the Year awards, two seasons as the NBA’s leader in blocks per game and five seasons as its leader in rebounds per game.

“Because I’m getting old,” Howard said about people perhaps underestimating just how good he was in his heyday. “But I know that in my prime, it’s a wrap. It’s a wrap… I’m Dwight Howard. I know what I’ve done in this league. All-time centers, I’m top 10.”

At the very least, he’s in the discussion. It’s possible that current players like Jokić and Joel Embiid will ultimately pass him on that list. But Howard’s resume is impressive nonetheless.