Dwight Howard shares why Yao Ming was the most demanding player to guard: "7'5" shooting fadeaways"

Throughout his 18-year NBA career, Dwight Howard encountered numerous skilled centers. However, the three-time DPOY singled out Yao Ming as the most formidable among them. During his appearance on 'The OGs' podcast, the 38-year-old explained how the Houston Rockets legend used his already-thwarting stature in the best way to ensure that no one could stop his dominance on the court.

"Yao Ming… 7'5"... shooting fadeaways, turnaround jump shot… Yao Ming was the hardest to guard," Howard said . "I'm really 6'9", 6'10"... my shoulders make me 6'11", but Yao is 7'4" - 7'5"... 350 pounds… Get into the middle, hook shot, you can't block it. Face up, jump shot, pick and pop to the elbow, he's making that."

Ming dominated Howard in head-to-head matchups

It's surprising to hear someone as confident in their abilities as Dwight openly acknowledge being outplayed by Ming. However, a closer examination of their head-to-head statistics proves that 'The Great Wall' dominated Howard.

Despite being considered one of the most gifted centers of his time, DH12 faced a harsh reality in his rookie 2004-05 season when he first encountered Yao. The Rockets center averaged 21.0 points in their initial two meetings, while Howard was limited to just an average of 6.0 points across both contests. This pattern of Yao's domination continued after that.

Throughout their nine encounters, Ming won seven times by posting averages of 23.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks, whereas D12 was limited to just 12.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.

Dwight is not alone in this

During the mid-'00s and early 2010s, it was a rare spectacle to witness Howard being outclassed. However, for coach Jeff Van Gundy, there was no doubt that Yao had achieved ' complete and utter domination ' over 'Superman.'

JVG went as far as to emphasize that despite facing unfair foul calls on him on a nightly basis, Ming consistently outshone Dwight in the post and dominated him by constantly getting to the line.

Had Yao prolonged his career beyond eight years, he might have garnered more accolades, further enhancing his legacy compared to Howard's. But during his healthy years, the 7'6" big man showcased enough to prove he was unstoppable on the block.

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