Comedian Ali Siddiq calls out Dwight Howard for botching Hakeem Olajuwon’s workouts during Rockets stint

Eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard famously worked out with Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon in the early 2010s, looking to expand his offensive repertoire. However, according to comedian Ali Siddiq, Howard was the lone player who didn't complete Olajuwon's training program.

From late in his Orlando Magic tenure (2010) to the start of his Rockets stint (2013), Howard participated in several offseason workouts with Olajuwon. In 2011, Howard said he aimed to become a "more complete" player during the sessions by "shooting more" and getting his "free-throw (percentage) above 75.0(%)."

While Howard increased his midrange shooting frequency and developed his postgame, he made little all-around offensive progress. After working with Olajuwon, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year shot just 54.5% at the charity stripe over his final nine seasons.

On Thursday's episode of "7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony," Siddiq reflected on Howard working alongside Olajuwon. According to the Houston native, Howard never made substantial progress because he didn't complete Olajuwon's training regimen.

"If you wanna get your game strong, come and see 'The Dream,' but you're coming to see 'The Dream,'" Siddiq said (Timestamp: 53:40). "There's only person that did not complete that program. One person in the NBA that came to him and didn't complete his program. Dwight Howard. And you can see it."

Siddiq added that Olajuwon's generous contributions to helping Howard perfect his craft went vastly underappreciated.

"Olajuwon is giving you a gift. He doesn't need your bread," Siddiq said. "He took his time out to give you something, and you're better for it when you come get it, even though he's overlooked. He'll still do it, even though he's overlooked."

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Hakeem Olajuwon expressed disappointment with results of his workouts with Dwight Howard

Ali Siddiq's critique of Dwight Howard seemingly aligns with Hakeem Olajuwon's comments about his training sessions with the big man. In 2013, early in Howard's first season with the Rockets, the Hall of Famer expressed disappointment with the results of their offseason work.

"The truth is that I can't wait to get back to Houston to do more work with Dwight. "I wish he was doing a better job," Olajuwon told NBA.com.

Olajuwon highlighted Howard's indecisiveness offensively, noting that he had a "tendency to go back to all of his old habits."

"When I watch him, what I see are opportunities that he is missing," Olajuwon said.

"When he gets the ball, he seems to be taking his time to decide what move to make, where he should go. There should not be a delay for Dwight. He must be able to make a faster recognition of the situations and react immediately with a go-to move."

Howard never made significant strides to diversify his offensive skill set over his 18-year career. Nevertheless, his athleticism, defensive dominance, rebounding and low-post scoring helped him rack up numerous accolades. Most recently, he was nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 last month, a testament to his impact.

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