Dwight Howard Caught Using Stickum In Game Vs Hawks

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard currently holds a high turnover rate, a high rebounding rate, and a high free throw percentage, all approximately in line with his career averages. They may all tank soon, however, following an incident over the weekend.

Dwight Howard Caught Using Stickum In Game Vs Hawks

From the very beginning of Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Howard appeared to struggle to hold onto the ball: literally. To solve the issue, he resorted to a very simple tool: spraying his hands with Stickum adhesive.

Howard applied the adhesive substance while waiting at the scorer’s table to check into the game. After he touched the ball and noticed it was a little more “clingy” than usual, it didn’t take long for Hawks forward Paul Millsap, who was at the line shooting free throws, to realize something was up in the first quarter.

In between two free throws (the first of which he made), Millsap grimaced and told lead referee Monty McCutchen that the ball felt very sticky. None of the other players or officials had noticed it, but following Millsap’s remark, McCutchen grabbed the ball and went to each team’s bench to issue a warning, saying “Stickum is illegal in the NBA.”

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s Chris Vivlamore, McCutchen went to the Hawks’ bench first, and then the Rockets. Houston Coach J.B. Bickerstaff stepped in front of the adhesive can at the scorer’s table as if attempting to hide it, but McCutchen quickly realized what Bickerstaff was doing.

After the game, Howard commented: “I’ve been using it for the last five years,” Howard said. “It hasn’t been a problem. I don’t know why people are making a big deal out of it. I do it every game. It’s not a big deal. I ain’t even tripping.”

Vivlamore also stated in his report that Howard sprayed his hands using “a can covered in white tape — apparently to hide its contents.”

“I’ve never felt the ball like that ever,” Millsap said after the game. “It was sticky. It was like super glue or something was on there. I couldn’t get it off my hands. It was the weirdest thing ever.”

Beyond the warning, the officials issued no penalty for either Howard or the Rockets. However, the spray can was promptly removed from the scorer’s table.

The Hawks (41-29) defeated the Rockets (35-35) 109-97 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Howard grabbed 17 rebounds but scored only eight points.

Dwight Howard’s free throw percentage in what he says was his last Stickum-free season is just under 60 percent. In the five years since then, that percentage has shot down to 49, 49, 55, 53 and 50 percent.

HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 10: Dwight Howard #12 of the Houston Rockets celebrates after the Rockets defeated the Indiana Pacers 107-103 in overtime during their game at the Toyota Center on January 10, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)