Dwight Howard’s impact is taking over the basketball scene in Taiwan. Ahead of the Naismith honor, the basketball legend was inducted into the Orlando Magic’s Hall of Fame, joining the impressive roster of Shaquille O’Neal and many other Magic greats. Having played in foreign leagues, he has both knowledge and skill. So, should he sweat over a challenge against an influencer who is also surprisingly quite good at the sport? Well, the Taiwanese influencer did stun the former Warriors star.

The $16 billion (as per Statista) company Adidas brought the former NBA player Gilbert Arenas to team up with a famous Taiwanese influencer, Ray for a commercial. Last time, we saw Darryn Peterson with Arenas for the brand’s newest commercial shoot for Crazy Lite Shorts. 

Amid the shoot, the two suited up for the action and fun. Both decided to participate in a 3-point contest. Ray has played basketball in high school, and this could also be the reason to be the next fitting member for the commercial. He wasn’t one to be underestimated but Arenas did.

He swept it away when Ray mentioned that he would be successful with his attempt. “At least I can get one, bro,” Ray said. The former Golden State Warriors player was quick to dismiss and said, “ I call cap.” However, he was quite stunned when Ray pulled it off and he exclaimed, “I was not expecting that.” While Arenas ended up winning the contest with back-to-back successful shots, Ray was impressive too.

Just a few days ago, Arenas shot a commercial with Kaleena Smith as well. Smith is the youngest high school player to receive an NIL deal. With Candace Parker as the president of Adidas Women’s Basketball, the brand has something new and exciting in store. Now, getting back to Howard, what convinced Ray to challenge D. Howard?

Famed influencer challenged Dwight Howard

Well, Ray’s near win against Arenas certainly had an influence! These days, Howard is occupied with promoting his league. The basketball champ is taking the game up a notch! Maybe Ray just wanted to show that he might be a potential recruit. He went on to challenge Howard. “@theasiantournament is having a draft on April 12th & 13th in ATL @shoot360atl where they will be giving professional basketball contracts to play overseas 📝🏀🔥 Should @rayasianboy_ tryout for @dwighthoward ‘ s league in Asia 👀,” the post captioned.

Let’s not forget we are talking about Howard. The 3X DPOY made 37% of his threes shooting 13-of-35 over his final two seasons. Howard only made 22 threes on 22% shooting during his entire 18-year NBA career. While not flawless, he is not bad at it. Howard also participated in the 3-point contest in Taiwan. Despite a few mistakes, he had 15 points. Well, Ray, too, has the right confidence, a bit too much, perhaps.

Ray’s bold challenge to Dwight Howard transcends a simple social media moment; it represents the growing confidence and skill within the Asian basketball community. Whether Howard accepts the challenge or not, Ray’s performance against Arenas and his subsequent callout have undeniably captured attention. This unexpected clash highlights the evolving landscape of basketball, where talent can emerge from any corner of the globe and where the lines between influencer and athlete are increasingly blurred.