Dwight Howard has been the subject of much controversy in the past few years. An immensely talented player with questions about his team camaraderie and character, the Houston Rockets’ big man is no stranger to the spotlight.
On Saturday, Howard saw himself under a new spotlight – one which no professional athlete wants to encounter. According to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Rockets’ center was caught using Stickum spray in the first half of the team’s 109-97 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Following from Vivlamore:
As Howard was about to check back into the game, he sprayed his hands at the scorer’s table with a can covered in white tape – apparently to hide its contents. He entered the game as Paul Millsap was at the free-throw line and grabbed the ball after a made first attempt. When Millsap got the ball back it clearly had a foreign substance on it.
After the initial incident, official Monty McCutchen issued a warning to each bench of the illegality of the substance in the NBA. As he was speaking to the Rockets’ bench, Houston coach J.B. Bickerstaff reportedly slid in front of the can in order to hide it.
There are so many strange and hilarious things to take away from this story. First of all, Howard really put tape all over a can of Stickum to hide the fact that it was Stickum, only to touch a ball immediately afterward, leaving residue from the sticky substance.
Second, Bickerstaff slid in front of the can to hide it like there aren’t dozens of cameras and thousands of people catching every single move made during the game.
Third, what is the point of even using Stickum in the NBA? Sure, it could help Howard catch passes, but it probably has major detrimental effects to his touch around the rim, as well as his already terrible free throw shooting. Stick to being naturally bad at them – pun intended.
And finally, when asked about the incident, Dwight did what Dwight does best: put his foot in his mouth. Following from Jonathan Feigen:
“I’ve been using it for the last five years,” Howard said. “It hasn’t been a problem. I don’t know why people are making a big deal out of it. I do it every game. It’s not a big deal. I ain’t even tripping.”
I’m not entirely sure that admitting to using Stickum, an illegal substance in the NBA, for the past five years is the wisest thing to do, immediately after it was made clear to you that it is an illegal substance. That might just be me though. Keep on “not tripping,” Dwight.
While no penalties were handed out during the game, the NBA is reviewing the incident, having requested the used game ball for investigation. Howard could potentially face a suspension for his action and admitting to using Stickum for five years can only make the length of that suspension longer.
