Former NBA star Dwight Howard recently revealed some details about his exit from the Los Angeles Lakers.
During a recent edition of his “Above The Rim with DH 12,” podcast, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year claimed LeBron James was responsible for him leaving Los Angeles shortly after the franchise defeated the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals.
The championship series was played in the NBA bubble in Orlando due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game against the Orlando Magic Jan. 21, 2022, at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. (Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images)
According to Howard, friction between him and James stemmed from a game during the 2019-20 regular season. Howard said he directed some vulgar instructions to James, which contributed to his departure from the Lakers.
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“I said that [too], and I got kicked off the Lakers,” Howard told Mario Chalmers, who played with James during his time with the Heat. “So, I know how you feel.
“You can’t say that,” Howard added. “I said that one time, and I was off the team. … It was after we won the championship, man. It happened on defense. I was like, ‘Yo, you gotta get back.’ And [LeBron] got mad because I said something. And I was like, ‘Yo, stop acting like a b—-, man.'”
LeBron James (23) and Dwight Howard (39) of the Los Angeles Lakers react during the first quarter against the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex Sept. 30, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
While the exact reasons the Lakers decided not to bring back Howard after the 2019-20 season remain unclear, the insult also seemed to be at the center of James’ strife with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the 2016 NBA Finals.
“He said Draymond Green called him the B-word, and that’s what got him going,” Chris Broussard said at the time, referring to his discussion with James after the Cavaliers’ loss to the Warriors in Game 4.
Cameras also appeared to capture Green attempting to strike James in the groin area when the two players got tangled up around midcourt. Green served a one-game suspension during the series.
The James-led Cavs eventually hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in 2016.
Howard’s first stint with the Lakers was during the 2012-13 season. James was with the Heat at the time. Howard then bounced around the league with a few teams before rejoining the purple and gold for the 2019-20 campaign.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, talks with teammate Dwight Howard, left, and eats a snack while on the bench during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs March 7, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Despite making key on-court contributions in a season that culminated with the Lakers’ seventh NBA title, Howard left Los Angeles and played with the Philadelphia 76ers the next year.
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Howard did get another opportunity to play with James in LA when he returned to the Lakers for the 2021-22 season. Howard appeared in 60 games that season and has not played in the NBA since. He spent the 2022-23 season competing in a professional league based in Taiwan.
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