During a recent episode of Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley had some words to say about Dwight Howard while talking about projected 2023 number one draft pick, Victor Wembanyama. While mentioning some of the great high school players that have struggled during their first year in the NBA, Barkley pointed out some names such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Dwight Howard. When mentioning Dwight Howard, Barkley made a joke by saying, “who is still struggling in Taiwan”.
Was Charles Barkley’s Taiwan Joke Clowning Dwight Howard’s Performance Warranted?
While Charles Barkley was just poking fun at Dwight Howard, in the technical sense his assessment was both incorrect and correct at the same time. Currently playing for the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan, Dwight Howard is averaging nearly 24 points and 14 rebounds per game, which is on par with his prime days in the NBA. However, these stats have largely been empty considering that his team is only 4-11 on the season.
Although Barkley’s joke should be taken lightly by Dwight Howard, it could be argued that it was a little too insensitive considering that some players choose to go overseas to continue their careers due to lack of opportunity in the NBA. Howard has expressed how disrespected he felt when no NBA teams called him this past offseason.
In the end, Charles Barkley did admit that he hasn’t been following Dwight Howard’s career overseas, and therefore shouldn’t take the joke too personally.
In his most recent game Howard scored 28 points and grabbing 14 rebounds before he was ejected after a massive brawl broke out.
He has really been proving that he still has it from athletic standpoint,
We all know that Shaq and Dwight Howard have a long standing beef, but his relationship with Charles Barkley has always been one filled with witty banter. In the past he has made many jokes about the way Chuck incoherently talks on Inside the NBA when trying to stay on one topic.
How will Howard respond to Barkley’s Taiwan joke? He’s probably coming up with a clever comeback right now.
