In 2023, Tristan Thompson returned to Cleveland. His breakup with Khloé Kardashian was official. An anonymous poll voted him the most overrated player. It’s not like he upturned that label as Tyrese Haliburton did. Nor has his veteran presence shifted anything with the Cavs. The only time Tristan is seemingly a hot-button issue is when his name comes up on an episode of Hulu‘s Kardashians. It appears his persona is working against him within NBA circles. Because two years after players slapped him with that label, Dwight Howard proved the opinion hasn’t changed. Thompson has his ex to thank for that.

After a very emotional Hall of Fame enshrinement and reconciling with his wife, what else could Dwight Howard do? Go through a series of mind-boggling challenges for a $1 million prize, apparently. The NBA legend is on his annual tradition of joining another reality series, Inside: USA, on Netflix. And it got spicy, literally and figuratively, on the very first day.

The contestants participate in a very shady quiz in pairs. The catch is an element of horror that has a way of bringing out honesty. Howard had to contend with a nacho chip that had a single droplet of sauce that was 135,600 scoville units. Howard only gets the first question after eating the chip. And that question was pretty close on the heat scale.

“Who is the most overrated NBA player and why?” NBA players have usually answered this question anonymously. Dwight tried it publicly, but that nacho made it difficult for his speech faculties.

He started off stuttering, “The most overrated NBA player is… I can’t even think of another NBA player,” and said in a confessional interview, “Oh my God, this chip is so hot. All of my abilities to answer the question quick just happened to go away.” He could say that in hindsight, but he eventually came up with the name. “Tristan… Tristan Thompson.” And why? “Cause he went with a Kardashian.” Yeah, no wonder that room full of influencers gasped. Even viewers online are shocked that he said it out loud.

Bear in mind, Howard answered this under duress. That Special Forces training from 2022 didn’t kick in and clamp him under tongue-numbing torture. It could be honest, or he blurted the first name he could think of to get access to the cold glass of milk. Then again, he’s not the only one with that opinion.

Tristan Thompson’s Kardashian ties supersede his career

Tristan Thompson averaged 8.3 points and 7.8 rebounds across 13 seasons. Dwight Howard averaged 18.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 18 NBA seasons, won a championship overseas, and dominated in his BIG3 debut until a few weeks ago. So, fans love to question aloud why Thompson is in the NBA and Dwight is not.

Thompson got into a scuffle with Raptors players in February and is getting into the AI investment space. But that’s hardly talked about. What did get discussed heavily online is how Khloé Kardashian’s divorce from Lamar Odom helped her survive Tristan’s cheating.

Khloe confirmed they’re officially separated, but they do share two children together, True and Tatum. It was also a huge surprise to fans that Khloe and the Kar-Jenner family helped out as caregivers to Tristan’s disabled 18-year-old brother, Amari, while he plays in Cleveland.

As the timeline goes, Thompson started dating Khloé Kardashian in 2016, and True was born in 2018. They split after he cheated in 2019, got back together briefly, and then broke up for good. The affairs that ran parallel to their relationship are a different matter. But amid his dramatic off-court life, very few noticed his PPG had dropped to single digits, and last season was his worst statistically.

Not surprisingly, 31.5% of the league voted Tristan Thompson as the most overrated player of 2023. The others who fell short were Trae Young, Zion Williamson, and Bradley Beal, who shed that image a long time ago. Another player anonymously said, “Someone like him has made a whole career out of playing with LeBron.” 

We hope that’s not from Dwight, who won his first and only chip with LeBron James in 2020. After the Lakers cut him, they signed Thompson that same year. That lasted six games before he was shipped back to Cleveland.

Thompson is still on a roster, not fighting for minutes, and just being an encouraging vet on the bench. He recently claimed he’s preparing for retirement. When he does retire, the burning question will be whether Khloe is part of his second act, more than just a co-parent. Not whether the Cavs will ever retire his jersey. So forgive Dwight for being honest.