Dwight Howard Reveals What Happened Between Him and the Lakers

Many thought that Dwight Howard would stay with the Los Angeles Lakers. He thought that the Lakers would keep him around for a while. It didn’t happen, and Howard signed a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

What led to this? How did Howard end up playing with the 76ers? Howard played with the reigning champions and he really wanted to stay with the team.

Howard was one of the best big men in the league. From 2007-08 through 2012-13, Howard led the league in rebounds per game in five of these six seasons. He led the league in blocks per game twice. Howard was averaging 20 points per game, 13.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game in these seasons.

In the last season of this period, Howard played with the Lakers. They had a terrible season. In the 2012-13 season, Howard was averaging 12.4 rebounds per game. The team had Howard, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash, and LA only went 45-37. What happened next? They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Dwight Howard had to leave the Lakers

Howard played one season with the Lakers and then played with the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards. He returned to LA in 2019-20 season. He wasn’t a dominant player but had a key role with the team. He was averaging 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 18.9 minutes while shooting 72.9% from the field.

But, Howard left the Lakers. He thought that the team was getting ready to give him a deal. He tweeted, “I’m staying right where I belong. Laker nation I love y’all. Purple and gold never gets old.”

Truth is, the Lakers didn’t make a formal offer and he had to delete the tweet. Howard was waiting for LA to make a move, and then moved on with Philadelphia.

“At one point, I did,” Howard said. “That’s when you saw the infamous tweet, because I really thought I was going back. But it was no offer. And I understand it’s a business. The Lakers did what they felt was in their best interest, and I’m just very thankful for them giving me an opportunity to come back to LA, and to just have an opportunity to win a championship. It’s very difficult, but everything happens for a reason. I’m super excited about my purpose on this team, and moving forward.”