Former NBA star Dwight Howard recently revealed some details about his exit from Los Angeles Lakers.
Under a recent edition of his “Over the Edge with DH 12”, Podcast, the three-time NBA defensive player of the year claimed that LeBron James was responsible for leaving Los Angeles shortly after the franchise defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA final in 2020.
The championship series was played in the NBA bubble in Orlando due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Dwight Howard from Los Angeles Lakers during a game against Orlando Magic 21 January 2022 at the Amway Center in Orlando, FLA. (Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images)
According to Howard, friction came between him and James from a game during the regular season 2019-20. Howard said he directed some vulgar instructions to James, which contributed to his departure from Lakers.
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“I said so [too]And I was kicked from Lakers, “Howard told Mario Chalmers, who played with James in his time with the heat.” So I know how you feel.
“You can’t say that,” Howard added. “I said one time and I was away from the team. … It was after we won the championship, man. It happened on the defense. I was like, ‘yo, you have to come back.’ And [LeBron] got angry because I said something. And I was like ‘yo, stop acting like a b —-, man.’ “
LeBron James (23) and Dwight Howard (39) from Los Angeles Lakers respond during the first quarter of Miami Heat in Game 1 in the 2020 NBA final of the Adventhealth Arena in ESPN WIDE World of Sports Complex 30 September 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, FLA. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
While the exact reasons why Lakers decided not to bring Howard back after the 2019-20 season remain unclear, the insult also seemed to be at the center of James’ dispute with the Golden State Warriors Tip Downmond Green during the 2016 NBA final.
“He said Daymond Green called him the B word, and that’s what got him started,” said Chris Bussard at the time, referring to his discussion with James after Cavalier’s loss to Warriors in Game 4.
Cameras also seemed to catch green attempts to beat James in the groin area as the two players were tangled around Midcourt. Green served a suspension of a game during the series.
The James-led Cavs eventually lifted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in 2016.
Howard’s first stint with Lakers was in the 2012-13 season. James was with the heat at the time. Howard then jumped around the league with a few teams before joining Purple and Gold for the 2019-20 campaign.
Los Angeles Lakers Spider LeBron James, right, talking with teammate Dwight Howard, left and eating a snack while on the bench during the first half against San Antonio Spurs 7 March 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Despite giving key contributions in a season culminating with Lakers’ seventh NBA title, Howard Los Angeles left and played with Philadelphia 76ers the next year.
Howard was given a new opportunity to play with James in LA when he returned to Lakers in the 2021-22 season. Howard performed in 60 games that season and haven’t played in the NBA since. He spent the 2022-23 season competing in a professional league based in Taiwan.
