NBA legend Dwight Howard reveals surprising reason behind getting snubbed by Jordan brand

Dwight Howard will go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history. However, it’s always seemed like he’s gotten snubbed from those talks.

He didn’t make the cut for the league’s 75th Anniversary team, and while he’s a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, he’s had to deal with that long before he made it to the league.

On the PBD Podcast, Howard told the story of how Nike wasn’t interested in his services when he was in high school. Apparently, they didn’t think he was marketable enough.

"My dad was talking to Nike with my agent, and at the time, Nike said I didn't have a personality, which is crazy," Howard said (Timestamp 2:49). "That's why I ended up with Adidas."

Trending

Howard has been known for a lot of things throughout the course of his career. Whether it was his rebounding or rim protection skills, he was a walking highlight reel when he was in his prime.

However, of all those things, perhaps his personality was the one that drew the most attention, for better or worse. Nike could've had the No. 1 pick to the Orlando Magic, but they respectfully declined.

Dwight Howard takes a big shot at Michael Jordan

Notably, that might also be why the former NBA champion doesn't have that much love for No. 23, namely the most famous Nike athlete of all time.

Further down in the interview, Dwight Howard questioned the claims of Michael Jordan having a 48-inch vertical. As a 6-foot-10 physical specimen with a 39.5-inch vertical, he finds it hard to believe:

"I wanna see this. If Jordan had a 48 (inch vertical), that means he's touching the top of the backboard," Howard said. (Timestamp 0:37). "If Jordan had a 48-inch vert, he should be sitting on the rim. There's no way."

Jordan was the most popular professional athlete in his prime. He mesmerized his opposition with his hang time and how he glided after he took over, but just like Howard said, a 48-inch vertical is almost unprecedented.

Per our own previous research, Jordan is tied with Darrell Griffith and Keon Johnson for the highest vertical ever, even if Howard still isn't sold on it.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

Know More