When Dwight Howard OWNED The Eastern Conference! 2008-09 Highlights | GOAT SZN

[@DressCode2005]

Dwight Howard's Athletic ability was insane in his prime.

[@shuntavaisjohnson86]

Yes

[@realabbzzy8856]

Yeah those back surgeries fucked him up and he came back so early also.

[@dremoore5329]

Injuries

[@aarchie-176]

It honestly still is. He isn’t the most skilled C but he’s still athletic and dominant enough for an offense to run through him and can be a stout defender

[@_SayitAintSo]

Still is

[@Terror832]

My favorite era of basketball was 2008-2013. - Team scoring wasn’t too high nor too low. Good balance of scoring and defense. - Achievements like 30 point games or triple double felt more earned or rare - Lot less blowouts - Lots of star power with the personalities to boot - Much less 3s being taken. Good mix of inside and outside ball. - More variety and identities amongst teams (Lob City Clippers, Grit N Grind Grizzlies, young and dynamic OKC, old but gold Spurs, Miami Heatles, veteran powered Lakers and Celtics just to name a few.) - The NBA Finals games were intense, physical, down to the wire, tug of wars. - Load management wasn’t really a thing With that said I still enjoy and watch today’s NBA

[@Lolofor_life]

I thought I was the only that felt like this lol because I remember back then dropping 25-30 felt like 50 pts.

[@malleratty]

fr bro

[@GameChanger-xi4iy]

Nba basketball was best between 1995-2012

[@31olegna]

Wish people remembered how good the Grizzlies were. One of those teams that was well coached and played tough af

[@lucii6431]

very well said

[@norseman8727]

Man he is underappreciated ! Dude had it all a jump hook , hops , physicality everything... One of the best centers to ever do it 💯

[@showstopper8]

then he went to houston and had no post moves

[@gpxjimmy]

@@showstopper8 That was after he left Lakers, NBA changed a lot since 2012, teams in the league didn't need big men to be team leader anymore, he changed the style of play from then on, but when he was in Hornets, he began to play like this again, because Hornets was pure trash, there was no team leader there, Dwight often got 20+20 in Hornets

[@pinstripedynasty6117]

Now this is 🔥 D-12 was an absolute Monster and is extremely underrated

[@shuntavaisjohnson86]

Agree

[@tboss8157]

Haters won’t admit he’s a hall of famer.

[@cowboywilt]

They dont know shit!! Reals ones know what they see.

[@kinga9301]

Im ur 12th like... D12... Lmao

[@1999yanks]

good thing shaq doesnt get to vote lol

[@luhRvck]

But he’s not D12 anymore he’s D39🥴

[@kinga9301]

@@luhRvck ofn..... My personal D8 needs support tho... Cum over ;((

[@217ShowOffBoii]

A beast in his prime. His 2011 season was pretty great, too. I would love to see it here. People never mentioned he finished 2nd in MVP voting behind Rose that year.

[@EternityMTC]

Why would people mention he finished 2nd? 🤔

[@217ShowOffBoii]

@@EternityMTC because that's the same yr many people believe LeBron was "robbed" of the MVP when he wasnt even 2nd place

[@uncledrew7633]

@@217ShowOffBoii facts !! I mean it’s still great to even be in the top 3 especially as a big man

[@araynova]

2011 dropped 50 on the Hawks in game 3 of that playoff series and lost...? yeah that 2011 season was his last GOAT SZN, before the back injury took over.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

@@araynova his first year in Houston was pretty great. Not this great but it’s an underrated season from him. Especially in the playoffs. Him and Aldridge were going back and forth in that port/hou series.

[@kieranr5676]

Thank you for this video. You have no idea what it means to me. As a kid growing up in Orlando in the mid 2000s, there was not much to be hopeful for in terms of the basketball. For as long as I could remember, the Magic were terrible. But Dwight was always a bright spot. I knew if we surrounded him with the right pieces, he could lead us to the promised land. Then the 07-08 season came along and it was a pleasant surprise. The 08-09 season was magical to say the least, never mind if we lost in the finals to the Lakers. Dwight gave us something we never had in a long time... hope. He was the reason as a 5'0 kid I would practice hook shots and rebounds all day at the local courts. I didn't care about shooting at all. I wanted to be like Dwight. He had a bigger impact on me and the city than anyone cares to admit. First ballot HOF.

[@1995Rebel]

beautiful comment g. I was the fat kid doing hook shots too

[@orlandotill]

We had good stars, Dwight, Steve Francis for a minute, Tracy McGrady it wasn't all bad.

[@TTSCAM]

How is this not a top 75 player 🤦🏾‍♂️ whoever put AD over this man should be fired 💯

[@killthedark7283]

Bro~Dame is on the list. Take him out

[@bandowood7506]

@@killthedark7283 yeah I like dame but he ain’t did nothing for the blazers Russ has more pull then dame

[@CrimsonUniverse22]

Howard hasn’t been dominant in years.

[@heartbreakerjigga6599]

@@CrimsonUniverse22 neither was dwade

[@CrimsonUniverse22]

@@heartbreakerjigga6599 Uh, Wade was more dominant in his prime than Davis. Davis never had a playoff like Wade’s ‘06 playoff performance.

[@JJWilliams910]

I remember people used to say he didn’t have a consistent post game or any post moves..He had face up to drive spin or hop step. Face up, shimmy blow by. Running hooks, drop steps, hop steps, spin moves and hooks with either hand. He had all the moves. What he didn’t have was counter moves & fakes. On top of that he was an athletic specimen. Agile, strong and could jump out of the gym. Most disrespected HOFer of all time.

[@willhooke]

I was just thinking that - isn't D12 supposed to be unskilled? Not sure what his critics wanted from him?! 🤔 Not everyone is Hakeem Olajuwon Howard looked like he had a pretty full bag 🙂

[@JJWilliams910]

@@willhooke right. He was so agile and strong that his initial moves were effective. It wasn’t until after his back surgery that he needed counters because he was less explosive.

[@allisknu11]

@@JJWilliams910 This is the right answer. It took him a long time to feel okay again. He said that his back pain was so bad that he couldn't sit down. Injuries change everything.

[@trentyates418]

Prime Howard was a monster, literally!!! Every center who played that time couldn’t handle Howard. That era from ‘07-‘14, best era ever, we will never see an era like that again.

[@legitelectronics9163]

The 80s had a top 2 player at every position….

[@realabbzzy8856]

dwight howard had very good to great postmoves he is seriously underrated he was a great player for a 8 to 9 year stretch

[@burnaaszn7681]

Max you a real GOAT all my favorite players you’ve done GOATszns for much love my guy

[@Stayalive34]

People forget how athletic and strong Dwight was.

[@kakarrotcake6991]

6:23 is music to my ears

[@dylan9013]

If Dwight Howard had a bit more an offensive skillset, I think he'd have more rings and maybe an MVP or two. What he did on the offensive side of the court, he did exceptionally well. A low post dominance that wasn't seen since prime Shaq, and has not been seen since. He was a rebounding monster on both sides. His true skillset was his defensive instincts. He had wonderful timing and anticipation for blocking shots (his physical stature helped a lot too). I sincerely miss watching low post play like Howard did in the late 2000s.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Some of these dudes really took Dwight for granted. Dude was a hofer before he even left Orlando. But the lie is always more entertaining than the truth. People just hate him personally and take it out on his career unfairly and without logic.

[@taeshawnwilson6853]

More lies than truth definitely more rumors than reality Jadakiss

[@mariogv4083]

Fax

[@air2373]

If Kobe didn’t act like a little bitch back in 2012 they could win a title or two. Kobe just saw his biggest nightmare in Dwight: powerhouse big man.

[@mariogv4083]

@@air2373 Kobe didnt see any nightmare, he just didnt like lazy players, even Nash had problems with Dwight in Lakers because Howard didnt want to play PnR.

[@air2373]

@@mariogv4083 lmao sure sure

[@sabatsamalashvili]

20 minutes of Domination 💪💪💪

[@lilnatedog95]

So much pain re watching him Dominate my Celtics , Dwight was a monster ! I’m glad he got a ring well deserved tops his HOF career

[@shuntavaisjohnson86]

Agree

[@bautistakeithcharles3302]

If this guy has the mean streak of Shaq or Gianni's he would have been even greater.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

And?

[@samaisquire3331]

You mean if he had better guards on his team he’d be greater

[@vh2712]

This was the prime Dwight Howard who dominated and upset Lebron and the Cavs in that years playoffs series.

[@tw3314]

Then went on to lose

[@kemosabeusmc]

That wasn't an upset. The cavs were a 1 man show. I'm a magic fan and even I knew that bron couldn't do it alone against that team.

[@AD-ur1fk]

⁠@@kemosabeusmcstop , it was an upset. The entire year was a Lebron vs Kobe build up. Lebron and the cavs won 66 games . U don’t win 66 games without a team around u. I still feel like that cavs team was better than the magic . The magic just got hot at the right time

[@spiralxoxo]

His own the league 2008-2012 🔥

[@moozzy1713]

I wish we got to see him like this for much longer

[@Raytheghost94]

They Say Dwight Didnt Have A Polish Post Up Game From The Looks Of This Video He Def Had Great Footwork And Strength To Over Power Defenders

[@TheIcemanthomas]

And he was insanely quick too. His issue was that a lot of his moves were athletic based. Like that running jump hook. It wasn’t very accurate or consistent. The injuries to his back and all the extra weight he carried took away a lot of that fluidity, so as he aged and he wasn’t generating the same explosiveness, and his post scoring wasn’t nearly as effective. And guys would just send him to the line and he wouldn’t punish them so he stated becoming a liability as a post scorer. That’s why Houston started phasing his post touches and wanted him to be a roll guy permanently.

[@mattc9412]

this is so fun to watch. In a league of the greatest athletes in the world, he was a step above everyone else.

[@raybaker2709]

Dwight was a monster in the post and he was the number 1 option.......Most definitely a Top 75 player,,,,

[@nbapbaupdate8338]

Still watching 💪💪💪 September 29, 2024

[@KingKalil]

Man those back issues really messed him over. From 2009-2011 he was a top 3-5 player in the game & was very impactful. Glad he finally got a ring last yr with LA

[@samuraibeastwarrior2886]

He will get one this year with the Lakers

[@FlashTemp]

@@samuraibeastwarrior2886 aged like milk lol

[@corruptauthor]

Man i knew his back was messed up becuase before the injury it was blake griffin and Howard highlights every other night on sports center

[@Zo_1987]

Dwight is a Hall of Famer!!!!! PERIOD...

[@Shane.Roberts]

I think you should start posting the players stats of the season!!!

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Or u could just look them up

[@bryanallen2405]

That doesn’t even matter. If you don’t remember these seasons oh well lol

[@Shane.Roberts]

@@bryanallen2405 alotta people dont be knowing lol

[@mobilisenmobili]

Announcers: "LeBron can guard 1-5!" Howard: "hold my beer!"

[@SegaDreamWarrior]

Facts

[@michaelhaydenbell]

K?

[@lancelira6083]

Lol that's Prime D12 no one in that year can guard that guy alone

[@juanellchapman4545]

What does LB have to do with it 🤦🏿

[@spiralxoxo]

Prime Dwight >>>> 2020s Centers

[@igotjokes4ya340]

Thanks for this no cap Dwight was the last true great center for a while

[@KleinpeterHank]

Really, until Boogie came along in the mid-2010s, and really until Jokic and Embiid in the late 2010s, Dwight was the last of a kind.

[@Arturo_Kilgore_Morgan]

@@KleinpeterHank with all due respect, Boogie is not on the same tier as Prime Dwight, Jokic, or Embiid

[@brandonwood1024]

​@@Arturo_Kilgore_Morgan😂😂😂 yes he was and he could shoot the 3

[@pilszdoe]

Dwight was the Best Two Way Big Man in his prime before the injuries amazing highlights displaying how good he was on both ends of the court

[@ikelocc100]

I’m taking Prome Dwight over every center today except Jokic . 3PT J and ball handling is just too elite

[@techibaboy]

I'm still a fan! Thanks for posting this.. Good times!!

[@alod247]

Remember seeing Dwight Howard and the Atlanta Celtics play against Seattle Rotary and Marvin Williams in the Adidas High School Big Time Tournament in Vegas. Josh Smith and Marvin and the guys that went on to be pros were crazy good BUT Dwight was on his own level. Dude was GIANT, the best athlete on the floor, could handle for a HS big and had more touch before the muscles. He got so bored of dunking that he just started dropping it in the hoop. Was insane to see.

[@heyarnold8023]

Pure dominance there will never be another Dwight Howard

[@EastHumbled]

Let's goo I love this channel bro that prime Howard was something serious

[@malikbradley48]

You bout to make me cry bro 😭 thank you so much for making this video bro D12 my favorite player He the reason why I started watching basketball You the best youtuber on god

[@nego6158]

This vídeo and goat szn of KG make me love this channel

[@JabrielRobinson]

If they wouldn’t have ran into Kobe and my Lakers they would’ve won the finals that year. And max give us that 04-05 shaq next bro ! Diesel first year in south beach was something serious !

[@justsayin669]

@Jabriel Robinson But Shaq has many better seasons than 2004-05. He arguably wasn't even the best player on his team that year.

[@JabrielRobinson]

@@justsayin669 True, I just feel like he was robbed of MVP that season just like 00-01

[@justsayin669]

@@JabrielRobinson I disagree. I think when a player has another bonafide MVP caliber player on their team and both players stay healthy throughout the season, that automatically disqualifies both MVP caliber players from the MVP discussion in my book by virtue of being on the same team. For example, Shaq/Kobe, Wade/Shaq, LeBron/Wade, KD/Curry, LeBron/AD, etc. None of those players deserved MVP when they were playing together, at least not when they were healthy and in their primes at the same time imo. If Shaq was arguably not even the best player on his team, then how was he robbed of MVP? Even if we are operating under the pretense that Nash didn't deserve MVP in 2005 or 2006, well Shaq shouldn't have been next in line either. Dirk deserved MVP over Shaq in those seasons along with some other players.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

@@justsayin669 that argument makes no sense at all. I don’t win mvp based on who ur teammates are. It’s about your individual level of production. Disqualification of someone based on a non production based argument would make the race unfair and unbalanced. If u put in the work and ur are the clear best player on a winning team, u should get the same level of recognition as someone without another star. Otherwise mvp will Only favor raw inflated stats for whoever doesn’t have another great teammates every year.

[@justsayin669]

@@TheIcemanthomas It does partially depend on players' teammates though. If it didn't, then the best player in the league would win MVP every year which would be LeBron pretty much each of the last 15 seasons. It is about a player's individual level of production, but it's also about *how many additional regular season wins that a player provides over an average replacement* . That's my criteria for MVP which is why if two bonafide MVP caliber players are on the same team, they are pretty much automatically disqualified from being able to win MVP because if you were to remove one of the MVP caliber players from the team, the rest of the team (mainly the other MVP caliber player) would still be good enough to maintain a certain amount of wins whereas other teams that only have 1 MVP caliber player would drop more games if you were to replace their best player with an average player (generally speaking). A player can win MVP in my book with another star on their team, just not with another healthy top 5-10 player in the league on their team. The stats aren't exactly "inflated" if they translate to enough team success to win MVP... Everybody has their own criteria for MVP, but even based on what the voters' criteria usually seems to be, team support IS usually taken into account or else LeBron would just be winning MVP every single year. Same goes for when Jordan was the best player in the league for 10+ years.

[@danzo1401]

He was an absolute monster. Definitely thought he was a better ISO player than he was, but he was a problem for everyone. If he only had a better supporting cast.

[@ohmrdontplay6338]

04-05 amare stoudmire would be dope

[@anarchylife3063]

I know right, like I also really want to see Clyde Drexler

[@wonderblox34]

Awesome, Dwight is one of my favorite players ever. Thanks 🔥

[@nader91]

bro... the cavs TRIPPLE teamed him in the paint and they still couldn't stop him. Wow

[@svwilliams2933]

This dude went toe to toe with the greatest in 08-09 and 10 without a jumpshot 😎...

[@eda639]

Don’t need a jump shot to score lol

[@svwilliams2933]

​​@@eda639tf are u talking bout? How many mfs have accomplished his numbers with 3 defensive player of the awards without a fucn jumper? Shaq!? Who else goof? You don't know shit about 🏀 hoop

[@svwilliams2933]

​​@@eda639You and 6 other retarded mfs who don't know shit about the NBA. This ain't the YMCA Goofy,,you definitely need a jumper in the NBA to be a 5 scorer in the league ! Ppl like Russ and Dwight are generational talent. Btw you should've named a top tier scorer in the NBA besides him to start with you Internet lame,you challenged my shit without facts. But that's social media for you

[@mrt094]

I do think Dwight Howard is underrated and for sure a hall of famer especially for what he did on defense but quite frankly watching this highlights I can see why he got so much criticism for his post game. When you watch highlights of Hakeem in the post its just so obvious even if you know nothing about Basketball what he is doing is special.

[@Tacti_Kal]

Dwight was an absolute Beast man. The thing is back surgeries just never heals correctly & you can feel worst than before.

[@Bnguyen276]

The man was constantly rebounding over 4 defenders around the goal

[@cutamuta]

D12 a classic big man no step backs or fancy cross overs just a jab floating hook and the strength to back it up

[@Ianwong33]

He’s a champion 🥳🥳

[@coolmoe3289]

Everyone Misses this Version of D Howard.. Dude Was Incredibly FOCUSED..

[@kennethopoku226]

Who came here when he got snubbed of the all time top 75 list?

[@Dre40973]

That jump hook shot unstoppable

[@zb2747]

One of the handful of players that are under appreciated and underrated for reasons I don’t know why. Dwight Howard is a HOF

[@seyahtan24]

Kids today should see this. Damn. Great video!

[@liammulgrew55]

Flightreacts should watch this because that dude says Dwight shouldn't be in the top 100 of All Time and should be top 400 at best 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@3serio]

That whole crew was underrated af ! Dwight leading them, then you had Hedo, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Pietrus, Richardson

[@giovanirosario6540]

Dwight is doing this in the paint with these dudes hugging him. He would average Embiid freethrows.

[@brianan7342]

He was an insane mix of speed, strength, and size. He dominated the paint that year, especially on defense.

[@howisthatgay4275]

Honestly he was a beast in Houston too

[@yohohoho8412]

Howard was super ripped at his prime. Playing at 5% body fat before his back injury that tore him apart.

[@waltchamberlain5165]

The dude was an absolute monster in Orlando

[@chrissychristheplayboi2513]

Everyone had a good season in the 2008-09 season 😂

[@realjcoop182]

Hoopers were just better then 💯🔥

[@jeftdominiquesabile7623]

A Prime Howard + Prime Lebron team up would be Nightmare for any team during that era.

[@shuntavaisjohnson86]

Yes

[@liammulgrew55]

Only if LeBron doesn't run his own system though 🤷‍♂️

[@Jp2timezz]

That’s 4 rings right there that would be the greatest duo in nba history in my opinion 💯

[@IamDoomed15]

Casual asf😂😂😂😂😂​@@liammulgrew55

[@vivekp123]

Dwight was always this star. He should have stayed in Orlando. No other team played the ball around Dwight the way Orlando did. Plays need to be made for the big man more.

[@braydenbockway8110]

I was looking forward to seeing some of his highlights in the finals too but great video nonetheless👍

[@jerichorazalvlogs8472]

Dwight was monster in his prime. He only gets criticize because he had so many surgeries and he can't be like this Dwight anymore. Dude beat Bron and almost beat Kobe in his prime. Put some respect on his name 🔥💯

[@thisislaflaretv5250]

He didn't have a go to move

[@realabbzzy8856]

@@thisislaflaretv5250 yes he did his hook shot was very crisp

[@joshuabutler7650]

I hate hearing people say if he had this or if he had that. He was a pure CENTER. They defend, rebound and dunk mostly and that's what he did.

[@SSJRome]

now this was truly a " GOAT SZN" from Dwight

[@kenpachiclay11]

Dwight at his peak was a monster

[@blazingfire3609]

Dude was a specimen

[@kl2389]

Pre-back surgery Dwight Howard was a beast.

[@jantaramiyongsuntriyapas2570]

Amen that... Also, even after his injury he was still beasting (although there was a decline). His Rockets tenure was all-star level, his Hawks were solid and his Charlotte was decent. The revolution of small ball + 3-points made him less involved in the offense. Glad he retired as a Champion

[@realabbzzy8856]

Definite hall of famer no doubt

[@waynepeters1394]

Dwight has the best looks, I've ever seen before on a seven footer, Yes he is handsome, but that body is a rarity..... Good Dwight.

[@boombenjamin92]

Him and Shaq 1 of my favorite players. Both in my top 10 to 15 list for me as a Fan.

[@InfernoCarson3619]

Prime Dwight Howard was just so good

[@MartyRoca]

Dude was OP. A walking cheat code.

[@BUD-TV]

Destroyed a King with a major Nike Kobe/Bron marketing campaign & no Top 75????

[@kjatuatasi6176]

4:20 “ Jameer Nelson is carrying this football team” *zooms in on Dwight* 🤣

[@johnrjrondario6912]

They really put AD and Dame in top 75 but not Dwight or Pau 😏

[@lauro.oshiro]

6:25 rip my ears

[@scrilla8568]

I remember watching the 2009 playoffs and the finals Dwight Howard was the definition of how a big man was supposed to play. He could of been better than Shaq dude is definitely a HOF player

[@luhRvck]

I waited all year for this

[@jayadams5444]

In my 40 yrs watching NBA never saw anyone over 6'10" who was anywhere close to the athlete Howard was. One of top athletes to ever play professional sports. These Orlando teams were terrible that Dwight made them competitive is amazing .

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Terrible where? Idk what team u were watching. Those teams were solid. Hero was a beast for a few years, jameer was a solid starting pg and second option, they had the last few prime years of rashard Lewis, and a bunch of solid shooters surrounding Dwight in the middle.

[@Rodddy]

My GOAT for sure

[@biggieboy9205]

Used to play dwight on 2k if I wanted to win a bet game hahahaha

[@chillbro2275]

Dwight was crushing these guys.

[@londonstackhouse4145]

Dwight ⭐✨✨ D 12 dunker 🏀🏀

[@abrahamwong938]

D12 was a student of Olajuwon, when he wasn't showing enough dream shakes, media came quick to bash him for not having any post moves, fact is D12 usually did the same few moves that were quick and powerful...he is a hall of famer no doubt

[@romanselme1073]

I love these vids

[@joebenson528]

Why does 2008=09 footage look like the 1775 Revolution colorized?

[@lioninthesun]

Anyone that doesn’t think dwight wouldve averaged 28-30 if he played in a 90s style offense is crazy. They didn’t feed him the ball in the post like the knicks did ewing or rockets with hakeem. That team and the suns were the beginning of the threepoint era. Dwight was dominant and that was without a true pg. and he was an entire team defense by himself similar to kobe sometimes being an entire team offense by himself

[@ResistingSix]

I was 10 years old when dwight had his mvp szn, i’m tryna figure out why doesn’t dwight play like this??? he’s still big enough to do post hooks idk how he no longer does it 🧐

[@ftrpwr23]

He would of thrived in the 90's

[@shiningking]

Kemp who has the same height as dwight but more skilled, more athletic and quicker thrives in 90s...so howard could too..but he will play against the most dominant center in shaq

[@bt3913]

He is certainly one of the most naturally talented big men ever

[@TheGOAT-dr1sq]

IDK abt "natural" talented he certainly didnt get so big and strong without lifting weights and working on his vertical far more than the avergae person

[@TheIcemanthomas]

@@TheGOAT-dr1sq pretty sure he’s referring to not ebony the most technically sound players but still being exceedingly dominant.

[@eugiovanni___]

Top 10 center of all time

[@michaellowery6201]

You should do Ray Allen for Goat szn next, great video!

[@MaxaMillion711]

Ray Allen 01 is done and scheduled. Coming soon.

[@michaellowery6201]

@@MaxaMillion711 Awesome can't wait to watch

[@jdwill109]

Rob williams needs to watch the footwork already has the athletic ability of this D12

[@manuelmangue9480]

like him or not... *CERTIFIED HOF*

[@laffyjohansson7005]

Can you PLEASE REPOST THIS! This video is 2 years old, and ESPN analyst need to see this ASAP! The disrespect to this man needs to stop 🛑 ✋🏾 ❌