Dwight Howard, who still refers to himself as “Superman” in spite of what Shaq has to say, recently gave some other NBA stars their own alter egos ahead of his return to the NBA Slam Dunk Contest this Saturday. As part of a video series for The Colbert Show, Howard was asked to match up numerous comic book icons with their NBA counterparts, during which he labelled his teammate LeBron James as the league’s “Ironman,” while bestowing the honor of “Captain America” on Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul.
Howard also paired up DeMarcus Cousins with The Incredible Hulk, Derrick Rose with Wolverine, Quinn Cook with Spider-Man (the cartoon version) and Luka Doncic with The Avengers’ Spider-Man. Check out his explanation for each of those alter egos, as well as the NBA’s Aquaman, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Thanos and even Kung Fu Panda, in the video embedded below.
As mentioned, Howard aka Superman will be returning to the NBA Slam Dunk Contest this Saturday for the first time in over a decade. The 34-year old headlined some of the most memorable Dunk Contest competitions against Nate Robinson during a three-year run from 2007-09, including a championship in 2008.
This Saturday, he’ll be going up against Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon, Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. and Milwaukee Bucks point guard Pat Connaughton. As is tradition, the Dunk Contest will serve as the main event for All Star Saturday Night, with coverage set to begin at 8pm ET on TNT.
