The nickname ‘showtime’ has been prevalent in basketball for years. The Los Angeles Lakers made it popular in the 1980s with Magic Johnson and Kareem Adbul-Jabbar and today it has a new home in the plains of Auburn, Alabama.

And nobody is talking about it?

From the emphatic tomahawks, reverse dunks, to slamming on 7-foot defenders; Freshman Jahki Howard has become one of the biggest attractions during Auburn’s season.

“I’ve seen him dunk on a seven-footer, so that was crazy. And just in general, probably 360 just outrageous,” Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford said. “He’ll try that in warmups from time to time. Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if we tried it again. I wouldn’t be.”

Pettiford and Howard are the only two freshmen on this year’s roster, and their relationship goes back to playing with each other for New Heights Lightning on the Nike EYBL circuit. The two connected on a halfcourt alley-oop against Monmouth for one of Auburn’s top plays of the season so far.

“You try to get him to smile on the bench and he was just locked in, but I guess it’s just normal for him,” Pettiford added. “I mean, when it comes to game time, he’s always locked in, but off the court he’s just a normal kid, smiling, always making jokes, but once he gets on the court it’s just a whole another Jahki.”

So, is there any dunk he can’t do? Howard says surprisingly there is.

“There is definitely a lot of dunks I can’t do,” Howard said with a chuckle. “It feels really good to see things from another point of view and finding new ways to score and defend. I feel like I can help out a lot when I’m on the floor.”

In just his freshman season, Howard’s impact on the Tigers has them ranked as one of the best teams in the country. However, he’s had a bigger impact on the game of basketball way before his time at Auburn.

Peach State beginnings

Since the beginning of time, basketball has always been a run your own race sport for athletes of all backgrounds. To get to the NBA everyone must go through a draft process. But many lanes can be taken on one’s path to the draft.

Players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were drafted out of high school. Like majority of the NBA, Howard has the pleasure of playing college basketball. But his high school journey, was something only few collegiate and NBA players has ever done.

Moving down from his birthplace Boston, Massachusetts, to Atlanta, Georgia, for his freshman season at Norcross High School was the start of his hoop tale.

“I was already going back and forth from Boston to Atlanta. My grandmother lived there already so we would visit her at a young age,” Howard said. “From a basketball standpoint, me growing up I was a huge fan of guys like Sharife Cooper, Collin Sexton, Brandon Boston and Jabari Smith. So, it’s a lot of hoopers from Atlanta.”

“Going out there and watching them play went into my decision to move down to Atlanta and be with my grandmother for a little bit. My mom eventually moved down as well. It was the place to be for me and to build my brand especially playing against some good players.”

After just one season at Norcross, Howard was ranked as the No. 5 player in the ESPN class of 2024 rankings. Standing at 6-foot-6, Howard’s incredible athleticism earned him the showtime reputation with his outstanding dunks.

Now ranked as one of the best players coming out of high school, Howard held offers from schools all across the southeast, including Auburn.

Adventures with Donda Academy

In efforts to grow his name even more, Howard decided to leave Norcross and the state of Georgia entirely to join the new Donda Academy founded by hip hop mogul Kanye West in 2022.

Located in Simi Valley, California, the Donda Doves featured future NBA players such as Rob Dillingham and AJ Johnson. Dillingham was in charge of persuading Howard to join the prep school super team that fall.

“Going to Donda was a kid choice,” Howard said. “My mom is not the biggest basketball person, so she did not know too much. It was me making that decision to go and I just wanted to experience new things while playing next to great players. I was talking to Rob [Dillingham] a lot during that time and we always wanted to play together. We ended up doing it and putting together a crazy team but things just kind of went downhill from there.”

The Doves first game was held in February 2022 as they defeated Chicago Prep 85–62.

On October 27, 2022, it was reported that Donda Academy had closed after West made antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media., despite West claiming it was reopened hours later. Donda Academy is currently listed as closed by the California Department of Education.

The team was scheduled to play in the Hoophall Classic and Kentucky Play-By-Play Classic showcases in late 2022, but the invitations were rescinded after the remarks by West ultimately led to the team shutting down.

“After the situation I knew I was going to go back to Atlanta. It was either going to be Norcross or somewhere close to my mom,” Howard said. “My brothers were just born so I wanted to be close to them as well so that was the biggest thing for me.”

“If it would have gone better than expected we probably would have figured it out and stayed at Donda Academy. Overtime Elite was on me heavy before I decided to go to Donda, and due to eligibility, I could not attend Norcross again. So OTE created the situation where you can be in high school and still go to college, so I just decided to go that route next.”

Opportunity with Overtime Elite

Overtime launched the Overtime Elite basketball league in 2021 for basketball players across the country between the ages of 16–20, where they can choose to be compensated or a scholarship option and maintain college eligibility. Athletes also participate in an academic program with a curriculum offering traditional high school subjects so they can graduate with their recruiting class.

The early perception of the league was not received well as many fans speculated that it could affect things like McDonalds All-American selection or Gatorade Player of the Year awards. For Howard, at this point of his career he was past all the awards and wanted to showcase his skills as a four-star recruit.

“I wanted to focus on my overall game and not just be viewed as a dunker,” Howard said. “It was a lot of future NBA athletes playing in OTE my first year, so it was hard. I was really young, and I wanted that challenge. It prepared me for anything down road and that was the best step for me post Donda Academy.”

Dillingham joined Howard in the OTE league as they played against each other and future NBA players such as Amen and Ausur Thompson, Alex Sarr and Jazian Gortman. During his junior year, Howard scored in double figures in five of the eight games he played in for the City Reapers.

Looking at the NBA pipeline OTE has created, the last two NBA drafts saw four total OTE players selected lottery. Howard broke down the development process while at OTE, and how it translated to his game at Auburn.

“Basically, you have a group of NBA trainers, coaches, managers, you name it, all investing time in the players making sure we’re working at the highest level possible,” Howard said. “The Thompson twins and Alex Sarr work ethic was different from everyone else. They were postgrad so they did not have classes meaning it was strictly gym and practice. I would have an 8 a.m. class and they were still beating me to the gym. They were getting two lifts a day and more workouts in then everybody else. OTE not only had the resources like the NBA but made us work like we’re already professionals.”

“That was beneficial for me too because I never played with talented guys like that even with my Donda experience. OTE was a different type of animal, I would see those guys in the film room from the early parts of the day to late at night. And that was their same schedule every single day. So, seeing people a little more advanced and taking their advice has helped me see things today in my game.”

The hard work and influence of his peers translated as Howard averaged a team-high 15.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, one steal and 0.7 blocks per game as a senior, leading the City Reapers team to a championship.

In three playoff games, he averaged 16 points and seven rebounds winning the finals MVP trophy and closing out the year with an All-OTE Second Team selection.

When looking back at his OTE era, Howard said he would still recommend rising hoopers to continue to do the public-school route just so they won’t miss out on the things he couldn’t do.

“The year after I left Norcross they got a state championship,” Howard said. “So, stuff like not going to a traditional high school and going to prom to I didn’t do.”

“It really depends on the person, if you are younger and not as highly recruited stay and play your high school career out. If you are a senior with buzz, you can try OTE out because you’re older and just want to advance at the end of the day.”

A piece to the puzzle

Now in the midst of a grueling conference schedule, Auburn will be leaning heavy on Howard after returning back to the regular rotation.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has raved about the growth he’s seen in his freshman with everything he’s endured throughout the year.

“Jahki Howard is going to be a great player. He is going to play in the NBA someday. He gets frustrated because he — while he can do that, we still are trying to coach him in some other areas, and he’s hard on himself. That’s it. He is just hard on himself,” Pearl said. “And if we can get him to just find a little bit more, a little bit more joy, and not be so hard on himself and not be affected by certain things, but that’s just the difference between being 18 and being just a little bit older. And when we say that he’s gifted and talented, he’s also a hard worker.”

“So, on other teams, he’d be starting and playing 30 minutes, but he knew coming in and he had a chance to play with some really good older players, and you could see what he obviously can do. Next year he’s got a chance to be a tremendously impactful player, but he’s going to impact this year’s team.”

Already averaging 7.7 points, two rebounds and shooting 51.4% from the floor for the Tigers, Howard’s message to athletes also on non-traditional basketball pathways is to continue to push through it all.

“Keep your head down and stay in the gym. I feel like basketball is supposed to be fun so make it fun,” Howard said. “You should always keep a smile on your face through adversity and whatever comes to you. The game is never supposed to stress you out.”