Dwight Howard claims he’d ‘bust up’ Spurs center Victor Wembanyama

Every diehard hoops fan on the planet has spent countless hours playing the era-bending “Who’s Better?” Game over the course of their life. At least I have, I guess I shouldn’t speak for everyone else. But whether it’s Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James, Larry Bird versus Luka Doncic, or Nick Van Exel versus Stephen Curry — that’s an inside joke that exactly three people in my family will laugh  out loud over — it’s hard to ever land on a legitimate answer because we just don’t know.

On a recent episode of The OGs Podcast, Dwight Howard joined co-hosts Mike Miller and Goran Dragic to discuss a number of NBA-related topics, but perhaps the most interesting question that Howard provided an answer to was this hypothetical from Mike Miller: “Prime Dwight versus Wemby right now?”

“Oooh, that’s tough,” Dwight Howard said initially, before laying out his plan of attack against the San Antonio Spurs’ 20-year-old phenom.

“I would hit him in the chest make his shoulders clap game is over with after that all it took is two times. I’m telling you boom boom boom and he’s going to the ground and then I got to deal with Pops [Gregg Popovich]. I’m busting Wemby up in the paint, what are you talking about?”

Let’s start here: we, as a collective NBA fanbase, need to put a lot more respect on the name of Peak Dwight Howard, and remember, this is the version of Dwight Howard that Mike Miller asked about. We’re not talking about Wizards, Hawks, Hornets, 76ers or Lakers Dwight Howard. We’re talking late-00s, freak of nature, leading the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals Dwight Howard. The guy who was an eight-time All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA performer — including five straight appearances on the All-NBA 1st-Team from 2008 to 2012 — and a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. The guy who was absolutely robbed of a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

Now, with all of that said, the fact that this is even a conversation speaks volumes about where Victor Wembanyama is right now, because it feels very safe to assume that this is nowhere close to Peak Wemby. And whatever the hell Peak Victor Wembanyama ends up being, I’m not sure there’s a player who has ever stepped on the hardwood who will be able to handle that guy.