Imagine stepping onto the court, looking around, and realizing that half your team is missing. The arena’s packed, the lights are blinding, and the pressure is suffocating. But there’s no one left to sub in! That’s the nightmare the Dallas Mavericks are inching toward. Once Western Conference champions, they are now battered, broken, and dangerously close to an NBA disaster: a potential game forfeiture. And just when things couldn’t get worse, Dwight Howard’s latest sarcastic jab sent fans into a frenzy.

Injuries have plagued the Mavs this season. The list keeps growing- Anthony Davis (adductor), Kyrie Irving (knee), Dante Exum (hand), Dereck Lively II (ankle), Daniel Gafford (knee), Jaden Hardy (ankle), O-Max Prosper (foot), and Kai Jones (quad). Let’s be real, when a team’s core players are sidelined for the season, it’s hard to stay optimistic. With their top players sidelined, even the most optimistic fans are struggling to see a way forward. But head coach Jason Kidd isn’t sweating it. When asked about the injury crisis, he shrugged it off: “It’s part of the sport. Injuries take place but you got to keep pushing forward,”  

So, whether or not AD and Kyrie suit up, the Mavs are pushing forward. But not everyone’s buying it. Dwight Howard took to X (formerly Twitter) with a sarcastic jab at the team’s situation, writing: “Dallas need to have tryouts 😂🤌🏾” With only seven healthy players, the Mavs might actually hold tryouts to fill their roster. Howard wasn’t entirely off base, but his delivery lacked the tact one might expect given the Mavericks’ predicament.

Howard’s sarcasm didn’t sit well with fans, but he wasn’t alone in his criticism. Across the NBA, speculation is growing. With their latest 130-125 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Mavericks’ struggles have reached a breaking point. So much so that some wonder if open tryouts might not be a joke after all

However, Howard’s sarcastic tone might stir up some backlash among fans. But you know what, this isn’t the first time he’s thrown sarcasm into the mix.

Dwight Howard drops the cheesiest joke about his NBA team-hopping Era

Dwight Howard has spent 18 seasons in the NBA, suiting up for seven different teams. But when asked about constantly shifting roles and teams, his response was something else.

How does he sum up his career after playing for four different franchises before joining a fifth, the Washington Wizards? Well,  his answer might just blow your mind.

During his introductory press conference with the Wizards, Howard dropped one of the most legendary career summaries you’ll ever hear. He joked with his trainer about his wild NBA journey before landing in Washington: “I learned Magic for 8 years, traveled to La La Land, learned how to work with Rockets, and I went and learned how to fly with some Hawks, got stung by the Hornets … through all of that, it’s taught me how to be a Wizard.”

Seriously, though, For a future Hall of Famer who’s been on a nonstop roller coaster, enduring tons of criticism both inside and outside the league, keeping it light and funny (at least in front of the cameras) is commendable.