When Donald Trump made the rounds on the podcast circuit ahead of the 2024 presidential election, he sat down with Bussin’ With The Boys, Theo Von and Joe Rogan. But one show was noticeably absent from his media tour: Above the Rim with Dwight Howard.
On Wednesday, Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel reported that Howard and fellow former NBA players D’Angelo Russell, Penny Hardaway and Victor Oladipo were bringing their independent podcast to Blue Wire.
Howard, his YouTube channel already amassing over 207,000 subscribers, was the only one among the quartet of former players to speak with FOS.
And when it comes to his dream podcast guest? None other than Trump.
With more athletes-turned-podcasters delving into political conversations, Awful Announcing’s Brendon Kleen recently questioned whether they truly offer meaningful insights. If Howard ever lands an interview with Trump, it sounds like he’ll have plenty to say.
“I just like to have conversations with people just to see where their spirit and their energy lies,” Howard told FOS. “And a lot of times, when we see people online, we see people in the media or the face that they put on when they’re on TV or whatever, maybe [it’s] a little bit different than how they carry themselves and how they move when they’re not on camera and stuff like that.”
Howard explained that he would want to ask Trump about his childhood and the challenges of serving as president.
“I don’t think people understand it, the tough assignment of being a president, but also trying to carry your own morals…. I’m [not] taking up for any president or anything like that in history, but I’m just of the understanding that it is a very hard job—it’s like being a king in your own land, and you have so many people that you have to try to take care of, and a lot of times your feelings and emotions have to be out of decisions and stuff like that,” he said.
Just as Cam Newton faced backlash for his controversial interview with Howard’s ex, Howard would likely face the same with a sit-down featuring Trump. But Howard wouldn’t be the first former NBA player to host a major political figure. In 2024, All the Smoke hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson scored an interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Howard might get his shot. The question is whether Trump would accept the invitation.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.