Getty Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard have an interesting history.
Dwight Howard’s tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers was short but definitely not sweet.
The Lakers picked up Howard in a 2012 blockbuster, four-team trade. However, his tenure with the team was short-lived, as he bolted for Houston in free agency after one season in the Purple and Gold.
The Lakers didn’t need long to figure out that the goofy big man was not going to mesh with their future Hall of Famer, Kobe Bryant.
When the Rockets and Lakers faced off in the season following Howard’s departure, Bryant and Howard exchanged words after a brief scuffle under the basket. Bryant told Howard to “try me” before calling him “soft.” In the postgame press conference, Bryant doubled-down on his analysis of Howard, saying, “You can’t help but like him. He’s a teddy bear.”
In a 2015 interview with USA Today, Kobe explained the rift between he and Howard a little more in-depth.
“I tried teaching Dwight. I tried showing him. But the reality is that when you have a perception of what it is to win a championship, and most perceptions of what it’s like to win are a very outgoing, very gregarious locker room where you pick each other up and you’re friends all the time. That’s the perception,” Kobe told USA Today. “And I think that’s what his perception was of what the idea is. But when he saw the reality of it, it made him uncomfortable. And it’s very tough to be able to fight through that, to deal with that challenge. And I don’t think he was willing to deal with that uncomfortable and combative nature.”
Howard revealed on FS1’s Fair Game with Kristine Leahy that as he progressed through his career, those words stuck with him.
“I kinda hated him for saying that because I looked at it the wrong way,” Howard said. “I think he was more so talking about my mentality…not how I am on the court. And I didn’t realize that because all the noise surrounding him saying I was soft. And I hated him. I hated him for that moment.”
However, with a few more years of maturity, Howard understood what the “Black Mamba” was trying to tell him.
“Everybody reaches different levels of maturity at different times,” Howard told Leahy. “I think at that time I was ignorant to the level that he was at. So I appreciate you, Kobe. Thank you for saying I was soft. I didn’t realize what you meant until now.”
Dwight Howard Was Shocked by Trade From Wizards to Grizzlies
GettyDwight Howard
Earlier this month, a trade was announced that sent Howard from the Washington Wizards to the Memphis Grizzlies, which caught Howard off guard.
“I was very shocked,” Howard said of the trade. “Before the season ended I had a long talk with [Wizards GM] Tommy Sheppard. I felt like we connected on a different level. I told him at the time when I get back to the team, I’m going to be a different man. My body is going to be different and I can’t wait…Then I got a call from him saying I’m going to be traded, and it hurt.”
Howard played in just nine games with the Wizards last season and underwent spinal surgery in November. The Grizzlies are reportedly trying to trade Howard, but will waive him if they can’t find a deal before the season.
In the FS1 interview, Howard also spoke on the rumors about his sexuality, among other things. The full interview is set to air on Thursday and Friday.
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