Dwight Howard and the 15 NBA Players That Need to Have Their Own Reality Show

Usually, as a red-blooded male who enjoys all facets of sports, beer-drinking and things that would be considered thoroughly "'Murrican," reality shows just bother the hell out of me.

I don't care what Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian are doing on a day-to-day basis, and I could have told you that Kris Humphries and Kim would get divorced before the NBA season started without watching their terrible abomination of a television show.

Don't even get me started on Basketball Wives.

However, I don't think that the idea of "reality" television is completely useless, it's just severely misguided and panders to a mass audience that will gobble up any fake drama that looks remotely like The Jersey Shore or one of the 298 similar reality shows out there.

I've caught an episode of The Association from time-to-time and Hard Knocks is one of the best shows that document the reality that is out there.

When a reality show legitimately reflects reality, following around a person or group of people who are either trying to overcome something or are going through something that is legitimately trying, it's a thought-provoking show.

However, when it's just your typical "life of..." show where all they do is follow a person around and show them in outlandish situations where all they do is argue about something, I'm changing the channel faster than you can say "Snookie."

That being said, there are a few players out there who would be perfect for reality shows, and yes, some of them would be good for those pandering, unrealistic, argumentative shows, but they would do it better than most of the shows on television do.

Lead image courtesy of sportsreviewmagazine.com.

15. Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard is a thoroughly entertaining person and one of the most noticeable people in the NBA. However, he can't really attach his name to anything.

He doesn't have a ring, he's the best center in the league, but compared to the best centers of previous eras, he just doesn't match up.

Giving him a reality show—which people would inevitably watch—would at least give him an identity. It would make him the visible center of the NBA, even more so than Shaq in his heyday.

14. Big Baby

I think an interesting show would be one that documented what a player in the NBA goes through when he is going to a new city.

A show like this could be pulled off with any player, but it seems to me it would have to be done with an entertaining and polarizing player like Big Baby.

It would be difficult to plan, obviously, as it would have to have started a few weeks back when free agency was about to commence and Big Baby was sitting in a locked-out NBA with no idea where he would be playing in the coming months.

It would just be an interesting look into the transitional periods that NBA players have in their careers.

13. Ron Artest

I just learned that Ron Artest actually does have a reality show coming out at some point in the future, and I absolutely love the premise too much to leave him off this list.

Artest, in all his glory and intrigue will be helping rehabilitate ex-cons through the magic of basketball. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to work, but it seems interesting nonetheless.

12. Allen Iverson

Honestly, in my lifetime, I can't think of a more polarizing, interesting or thought-provoking person to have played basketball professionally than Allen Iverson.

Reportedly, Allen Iverson is interested in an NBA comeback, a story that just reeks of reality show stench, but in a good way.

Following the former MVP around with a camera in his attempt to get back into game shape and taking every precaution possible to get back into the NBA would be an enthralling story to tune in and watch every week.

11. Brandon Roy

The story of Brandon Roy is a modern-day tragedy as far as on-court basketball is concerned. Not in the sense of a serious tragedy, obviously, as nobody has died or had their life horrifically altered, but in the idea that such a respectable, well-liked player is being forced to retire at such a young age.

Giving a camera crew full access to Roy's life for a few months following his decision to retire would be interesting, informative and enthralling. 

10. Charles Barkley

After watching Hank Haney try to fix Charles Barkley's golf swing a few years ago in a reality show, I realized something: I will watch Charles Barkley do anything. He's just entertaining.

Give that man a camera and let him do whatever he wants. I'll probably watch it.

9. Tony Parker

Here's your perfect idea for a cheesy reality show, Internet.

Take newly single Tony Parker, a Frenchman and worldwide playboy, get a dozen girls and have them all vie for his affection.

It's as simple as that. Just film it over the summer and put it on Fox or MTV2 and you can go ahead and call it, "Who Wants to Date a Basketball Star?" or something cheesy like that.

8. Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is about a decade away from being the subject of about a dozen documentaries, but for right now I would settle for a reality show.

All it would need to be would be something that shows Kobe dealing with limitations of his aging body, trying to continue his prime as long as possible.

Of course, the normally very private Bryant would never do it, but just a peek into Kobe's private life would intrigue most people that follow the NBA.

7. The Aging Celtics

This would have pretty much the same concept as something revolving around Kobe, but it would be on a larger scale.

It would just need to be shot in the way that The Association is filmed, just telling the story of an aging superstar-laden team full of storylines.

We would get to follow the chaos surrounding Rajon Rondo, the disintegration of Kevin Garnett's body, the introduction of new, young players and the slow fading into the shadows of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

6. Ricky Rubio

A reality show following Ricky Rubio could really go either way.

You could have the shallow, fluffy, "day in the life" show about Rubio, a Spanish phenom coming into the NBA.

However, it would be just as easy to make a more hard-hitting, thought-provoking story about Rubio's struggles with being labeled a phenom and the difficult transition to the NBA game, plus adjusting to living in Minnesota compared to Spain.

5. Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady

Here we would have the story of two has-been cousins trying to extend their careers as long as possible who find themselves in very similar situations.

Tracy McGrady is farther out of the league than Vince Carter, but the Atlanta Hawks have put some stock in him helping their team stay together near the top of the East as long as possible.

Meanwhile, the reigning champions, the Dallas Mavericks have given Carter a shot at being an important part of a defending team, whose main goal is also just holding a team together at the top as long as possible.

4. Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin is many things that make him perfect for a reality show.

He's a young star playing for the little brother team in Los Angeles who has the possibility of taking the city by the ankles and claiming it for himself. He has a great personality and is a natural in front of the camera with a knack for dead-pan comedy.

If there was a single player in the league that I would undoubtedly watch a "fluffy" reality show about, it would be Blake Griffin.

3. The Miami Three

Another team that the world would love to see a part of a documentary-type reality show a la The Association would be the Miami Heat.

I would love to see how they work behind the scenes with cameras on them even more than they are right now. Everything from how they handle the pressure to how they get along behind the scenes would be great to watch, although it may get a bit tiring to see the Heat even more.

2. Brian Scalabrine

The White Mamba is the king of the one-year, non-guaranteed contract, so here is my proposal for a reality show surrounding Brian Scalabrine.

After this season with the Bulls, he will be without a team yet again, so all it would need to be would a camera following him around while he pimps himself out to teams around the league to get his next deal.

He is such an entertaining, sociable and just charismatic guy that it would be hard to pry me away from any show starring Scalabrine.

1. Delonte West

Honestly, my first thought when thinking about who would have the most interesting story to stretch out over eight to 10 episodes was Delonte West.

For the past year and a half, something has happened to Delonte West, whether it be his falling out of favor on Mike Brown's Cavs as he was doing so well in the playoffs, him going to Boston and getting injured, his house arrest saga and now him going to Dallas.

Any bit of that would be great to see first-hand.

Delonte West on his own is a funny, engaging character, but the things he's gone through over the past two seasons while still looking like a good player to the best teams in the league is downright amazing.

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