The Untold Story Of Dwight Howard And Kobe Bryant’s Relationship

Kobe Bryant was a competitive player, but he didn’t get along with some of his teammates. NBA fans and players remember the relationship Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal had in Los Angeles. Both superstars were competitive and wanted to win games. Dwight Howard had a different experience with Kobe.

The Orlando Magic couldn’t win a championship so the team sent Howard to LA. Chris Paul was supposed to join him, but the NBA disapproved of trades of this kind. In other words, Kobe had to build a strong squad with Howard’s help.

They did do magic on the floor. Kobe required the ball pretty often, but he and Howard went to the top. The 27-year-old Howard was winning games with the Black Mamba.

Howard was averaging 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds in his only season with the Lakers. He made his seventh straight All-Star appearance. But, there were too many tensions between him and Kobe. Howard was just sitting there waiting for the ball to come to him.

Dwight Howard left Kobe and the Lakers

Howard signed with the Houston Rockets in the offseason. In his lone season in Los Angeles, the Lakers were below .500 for the year and coach Mike Brown lost his job. Howard was a good fit for the Lakers, and he helped them win a title. Seven years later.

In his interview with CNN following Howard’s departure from LA, Kobe revealed details of their relationship.

“It just changes the dynamic of the team,” said Kobe. “… I have a way that I think winning should be done, which is hard work and a challenging nature. … A lot of times that makes people uncomfortable. … I think he [Howard] had plenty of opportunities. I just think philosophically, that relationship was never going to work.”

Howard returned to LA next year. He confronted Kobe, and they shared a really “special” moment during the game. Kobe ended up calling him a teddy bear. If the Lakers were able to get Paul that year, things would have taken a different direction. But, it didn’t happen, and Howard had to go.