Dwight Howard Recalls Major Benefit From Copying Kobe Bryant’s Work Ethic

In 2009, Los Angeles Lakers veteran Dwight Howard was the best young center and he copied Kobe Bryant’s work ethic. Howard won the Defensive Player of the Year award and his Orlando Magic team made the NBA Finals. They lost to Kobe and his Lakers.

Today, Howard is a Laker and he has a really cool story to share. Howard had an interview with The Athletic and used the chance to speak about the best advice he has ever received from Kobe. They talked about this right after the championship series.

“What should I do to get better?” Howard recalls asking Bryant.

“He was like: ‘What you mean? You’re already one of the best in the world. What do you mean? Continue to do what you’re doing, continue to play hard. Work on the elbow jump shot and bank shots.’ I was like, ‘Well, how many shots do you shoot in a day?’ He said he used to make 1,000 shots a day. That’s what I started doing: Shooting and making 1,000 jump shots a day. And the next year (2010-11), I was second in the MVP (race, behind Derrick Rose).

“I’ll never forget that. The reason why he said do that wasn’t because he wanted me to shoot all jump shots — it was more so the will.”

Dwight Howard is going to the Finals thanks to his work ethic

Kobe was part of the NBA world for two decades. Players learned a lot from him, and most of them tried to copy his work ethic, determination and competitiveness. Kobe became an icon and young players wanted to be just like him.

Howard played with Kobe in 2012-13. However, they didn’t get along, and injuries put an end to the cool story. Howard made some stops throughout the years, and the Lakers got him last summer. In other words, this is his last chance to redeem himself.

From what we can see, Howard has an excellent impact on the team. He has a chance to win his first title, and the Los Angeles Lakers are in a perfect position to accomplish that. The team defeated the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, and they are off to the Miami Heat.