Funny, Howard was criticized and ridiculed after asking Barkley about Chamberlain

NBA internal commentator Charles Barkley lashed out at guest host Dwight Howard after asking Wilt Chamberlain’s question.

Dwight Howard participated in TNT's NBA live broadcast on Tuesday night. As O'Neal was absent from the show for the second time due to other work reasons, TNT invited Howard to participate in the show's discussion with Ernie Johnson, Jaylen Ross and Charles Barkley.

Howard quickly got into the rest of TNT's team, but things quickly got interesting. During the live broadcast, Charles Barkley revealed that Howard asked a surprising question in the backstage—a question that caught Barkley off guard, and he felt the need to raise the question on the live broadcast and scold Howard in front of the audience.

"Dwight, I have some opinions with you. Guess what he asked me later?" Charles Barkley asked on the show... "Look, we were joked. This guy asked me about Wilt Chamberlain... I said, 'Brother, how old do you think I am?'"

It should be clarified that Charles Barkley, 62, has been playing in the NBA from 1984 to 2000. When Barkley was selected to enter the league with the fifth pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, Wilt Chamberlain had been retired for more than a decade, and he quit the field in 1973. Dwight Howard quickly admitted the mistake after mistakenly thinking that the two had overlapping careers and apologized to Barkley on the live broadcast.

"I thought I asked this question," Dwight Howard said with a smile. "I thought about it. I said, 'Chuk is not that old.'... It's my fault." The past of Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal finally laughed at it, although Charles Barkley seemed a little annoyed by Howard's mistake. Still, Barkley handled the matter gracefully, accepted the apology, and revealed that their conversation in the backstage was going well-until Howard unexpectedly mentioned Wilt Chamberlain.

In the end, everything seemed relaxed and pleasant. After Howard's sincere mistake, the two sides did not leave any tension.

As Howard was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame and media exposure has continued to increase, his public image is changing. He was once seen as a troublesome figure in the locker room or a person who failed to reach his full potential, and now he is working to redefine his memory. His cameo in "NBA Insider" may be just a flash in the pan, but it also seems to be auditioning for a more stable broadcast position.

Given the complicated history of the two, there are still speculations about whether Shaquille O'Neal agrees to Howard's take over him. Nevertheless, the fact that Howard filled his vacancy during O'Neal's absence conveyed a message—whether intentionally or unintentionally—that is, the network, and even O'Neal himself, are willing to let past grudges pass, at least in the public's eyes.

Some fans believe that this moment is a sign of the reconciliation between O'Neal and Dwight Howard, while others believe that it is just a great gesture that shows what these two former opponents have achieved today. Some people also believe that the producers of "NBA Insider" took advantage of this opportunity to use their reconciliation to increase audience interest and ratings.