Dwight Howard spits on the ball

Basketball players have been known to spit on their hands and wipe their shoes to get better traction….Hell, pitchers often spit into their hands to get a better feel of the ball on cold days.

But spitting on the ball to hex your opponent?…Nah, that’s just disgusting.

This little nugget of info was spotted by San Francisco chronicle writer Scott Ostler during a Warriors-Magic game the other day…

On Saturday night, I learned that Dwight Howard spits on the ball.

Every time a Warriors player went to the line to shoot two, after the first free-throw try, the Orlando Magic’s massive center asked the ref for the ball, spit on it and flipped it back to the ref. Seriously.

“I’m just blowing on it,” Howard fibbed with a smile when I asked him about it after the game. “I’m putting a spell on them.”

I called BS right away. There was no way this had gone on without the ref noticing or saying something to him.

But I was wrong. Dead wrong. Several fans noticed this during game action as well and posted a video on youtube.

Although from the angle in the video its tough to tell whether or not he’s actually spitting, when you combine it with the writers first-hand account, its extremely hard to dispute.

I’m sure this isn’t the first time Howard has done this either. And I’m sure if some NBA blogger had more time than I, they could go through past game footage and find more incriminating video. (Hint Hint)

Whether this is just a lack of sportsmanship or just a lack of hygiene isn’t my call to make. But if I ever find myself in a one on one game with Howard, I’ll be sure to bring sanitizing wipes.

(Huge H/t to the biggest NBA fan I know….my sister)

--- Did you like this article? And you probably like contests, exclusive content, and smug commentary right? Then why aren't you liking Guyism on Facebook? Show some pride and click the "Like" button below right now: