Dwight Howard fires back at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took some shots at Dwight Howard on ESPN’s “First Take” Thursday. Saturday, Howard shot back, thankfully not from the free throw line. ESPN reported what Abdul-Jabbar originally said.

"“Dwight is an extraordinary athlete and has incredible athletic ability, but basketball is a game where the most important muscle that you use on the court is the one between your ears,” Abdul-Jabbar said on ESPN’s “First Take” Thursday. “Dwight’s basketball IQ is not up to speed for him to be a dominant player.”"

Not exactly a scathing review but certainly not very flattering for Howard. I will admit, with some of the decisions that Howard has made in recent years, it is difficult to argue with Kareem. Here was Dwight’s response.

"“Have I done some dumb stuff on the floor? Yes, every player has. Have I done some stupid things in life? Yes, it’s life. We make mistakes and learn from them. It is what it is. I think I am very intelligent when it comes to the game of basketball. I have been playing since I was 3 years old. Each year, I get a little smarter."

So Howard is admitting to his stupid mistakes but saying he is not stupid? I agree that people make poor choices, but Dwight needs to understand that the choices that we make in life define us. I hope that he can turn that perception around because he certainly is an amazing talent on the court. If he could fix the deficiencies in his game he could become a transcendent talent.