NBA players and media have been on each other’s radar forever, but none stir the pot quite like Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. Take Stephen A.’s iconic roast of Giannis: on First Take, he called Antetokounmpo an “underachiever” despite his MVPs and a championship. Meanwhile, Skip Bayless has spent decades firing off bold, controversial burns—like his infamous claim that LeBron “isn’t clutch” during the 2020 playoffs, a jab that resonated with millions online. These two know controversy, and NBA talk wouldn’t be the same without them. But there are moments when their controversial takes really p— off players. And that’s what seemed to have happened with Dwight Howard.

Dwight Howard played 18 seasons across 7 teams, including the Lakers, putting up 15.7 points and 11.8 boards per game in 1,242 regular-season matchups. He’s got 8 All-Star nods, 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards, and even a ring to his name. Still, media figures—especially Skip Bayless—have had a field day criticizing him over the years. But Dwight’s never been one to sit quiet. When Skip came for him, Dwight clapped back with receipts—and the résumé to match.

That all came to a head when Dwight Howard appeared on the New Rory & Mal Podcast. Reflecting on his media critics, he didn’t mince words: “Back then it was probably like the Skip Baylesses… I was saying if I’m in a room with Skip I’mma slap him—like that’s how I was thinking back then.” He explained the shift in sports media culture too: “He always got something to say… because people like that, I believe, back in the day started what we call everybody having an opinion—based off somebody who’s never did this before.” The shots were direct and personal.

And it wasn’t the first time. During his prime, Dwight Howard was a force—he led the Magic to the NBA Finals and had a solid stint next to Harden in Houston. But the media never quite gave him his due. In 2018, Dwight publicly questioned Skip’s credibility, and Skip fired back with classic sarcasm: “Well, at least I don’t look like Tarzan and sometimes play like Jane.” It was a brutal echo of the “soft” label that had followed Dwight since Kobe Bryant’s infamous criticism—and Skip knew just how to lean into it.

Still, Dwight’s beef wasn’t just with one man—it was with the whole system. As he said on the podcast, critics like Skip helped birth a culture where anyone with a mic had an opinion, regardless of playing experience. And he’s far from alone in that frustration. Kenyon Martin recently called out Skip, Stephen A., and others for shaping legacies without ever lacing up. “As athletes, we have a problem with Skips, the Stephen A’s… you’ve never laced up and you don’t know what it took for these guys to become who they are.” Gilbert Arenas and Rashad McCants echoed that sentiment—and Gil summed it up with one cutting question: “100% of athletes are still wondering how did you make a 75 list without Dwight Howard.”

Times when Skip Bayless made controversial remarks

Skip Bayless has made a career out of lighting up the NBA world with takes so wild, you’d think he was trolling half the time. But nope—he means every word. Remember when he said Dwyane Wade is the closest thing to Michael Jordan? That one broke the internet. Fans were like, “Have you met Kobe? Or, you know, LeBron?” And Skip didn’t stop there—he once claimed the Chicago Bulls “lucked” into the No. 1 seed and then dropped the legendary line that LeBron James will never win a ring. Spoiler alert: LeBron now has four. Preposterous? Yes. Skip? Totally unbothered.

Then came the episode where he and Chris Broussard built teams out of the best No. 1 picks—and Skip somehow ended up with LeBron running point and James Worthy at shooting guard. That same energy carried into his take that Michael Jordan won it all by himself, completely ignoring, well, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson. Oh, and he called LeBron undeserving of the MVP in 2012, during one of the most dominant statistical seasons in NBA history. At this point, even fans who hated using the word “preposterous” had to bring it out of retirement.

But the hits kept coming. Skip said Blake Griffin’s dunk over Kendrick Perkins wasn’t that high—yes, that dunk. He put Kwame Brown at small forward in the worst No. 1 picks list, alongside Pervis Ellison at shooting guard. Then, in a galaxy-brain moment, he released a top 5 NBA players list that left LeBron off entirely and somehow included Carmelo Anthony. Not hating on Melo, but… really? Skip’s list went: Wade, Kobe, Dirk, KD, and Melo. And just like that, we were reminded: Skip Bayless may not make sense, but he definitely makes headlines.

Dwight Howard didn’t just defend his legacy—he called out the system that let critics define it. And when it came to Skip Bayless, he made it clear: enough was enough.