On paper, joining the Lakers is an honor for many players. However, a current member was anything but delighted at the idea of evolving for them, before his arrival… He had also mentioned it to his former franchise, which however ignored him.
Champion in 2020 with the Lakers, Dwight Howard has since become a highly regarded member of the Angelino squad. His return after a year in Philadelphia had also been greeted by many people during the summer. It must be said that the veteran interior was crucial during the coronation of his family in the bubble, bringing all his power and energy off the bench. The kind of energizer essential to win a ring, which he has finally put on his finger.
However, the former Orlando star also has bad memories in California, especially regarding his first freelance there. The 2012-13 season had seen him in a “superteam” with him, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol. This unfortunately ended in one of the biggest failures in history, the native of Atlanta not getting along with the Mamba at all. As a result, he was in Houston the following season.
Dwight Howard not hot for the Lakers… because of the Shaq
Not long ago, D12 went back in detail to this period, during an interview with The Athletic. In fact, the association of the two parties immediately rested on bad bases… because he absolutely did not wish to play in the City of the Angels. The reason is simple: it would have reminded too much of the journey of a legend of the orange ball, from which he wanted to come out of his shadow.
When I left Orlando, my intention was not to go to Los Angeles, and the Magic knew that, but despite my wish to go elsewhere, they sent me to Los Angeles, which was one of the places I didn’t want to go at the time. I felt like it would have made people feel like I was trying to follow in someone else’s footsteps.
In this case, the three-time defender of the year is undoubtedly alluding to Shaquille O’Neal, another great Floridian interior that had rallied the Purses and Golds in the past. If the Big Diesel was a monumental success at Staples Center, this was obviously less the case for Howard, who ultimately remained only one small season. After that, he took advantage of the 2013 offseason to move to Texas, joining the Rockets of James Harden.
A first separation quite complicated therefore, but which was quickly forgotten thanks to the second passage of the pivot, punctuated by a title. This time around, he has nothing more to prove to the public angelino, having rebuilt a reputation as a good teammate that has long failed him. The opportunity also to end his career in peace, he who went through rather turbulent years after his incredible bonus. That’s all we can wish for him.
Dwight Howard admits it bluntly, he wasn’t planning on joining the Lakers nearly ten years ago because he didn’t want to emulate the Shaq. When we know the rather heated liabilities between the two men, we can not blame him for wanting to trace his own path.
