LA Lakers fans will always remember the organization’s attempt to make Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard play together.
During the 2012 summer, Howard headlined a significant trade that sent him to Los Angeles.
In a recent clip posted by Gilbert Arenas’ show, Gil’s Arena, the former star revealed his genuine feelings at that time.
The Lakers’ attempt to build a superteam around Bryant and Howard didn’t work out for many reasons.
Both superstars had different personalities and approaches in the game and injuries plagued the team.
The Lakers still finished the season as the seventh seed but was swept away by the San Antonio Spurs in four games.
It’s been almost a decade and Howard is now open to sharing his thoughts and feelings about his first stint with the Lakers.
“It’s difficult playing with Kobe [Bryant],” Howard started. “Cause one is the expectation, winning. And then two is like, s**t everybody expected me and Kobe to be like the new Kobe and Shaq [O’Neal]. And I’m just coming off [an] injury. I’m still dealing with all the mental s**t from being in Orlando and I gotta go to LA and I’m playing with Kobe Bryant.
“I was already pissed. Because, one: I had to go to LA. Nobody ever knew I didn’t want to go to LA. I didn’t want to go to the Lakers, because I wanted to beat the Lakers. They just beat us in the Finals. In my mind, ‘Why would I go to the team that just beat us?’ I wanted to go to Brooklyn and just start my whole career over.
Howard shared that his emotions regarding the trade from the Orlando Magic played a part in his departure after one season.
“It didn’t work out and I made an emotional decision to leave. So, I do regret that, making that decision just based on my emotions, how I was feeling about… the organization worked with me and Kobe. I just didn’t make a smart, logical decision. I made an emotional decision at that time.”
Dwight Howard redeemed himself in Los Angeles
Even after his rocky first stint with the Lakers, Dwight Howard got a chance to redeem himself after six years. During the 2019-20 season, Howard wasn’t the star that he used to be. He re-joined LA after bouncing around the league and became a veteran of the team.
Bryant was already retired at that time and the Lakers had a new star in LeBron James. While he wasn’t an integral part of the team’s offense, Howard’s defense played a notable part in the team winning the 2020 championship.
Howard had a third stint with the Lakers during the 2021-22 season, but they didn’t qualify for the playoffs that season.
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Source: USA Today
