Dwight Howard had two very different stints with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On the first go-round, he was brought in to be Kobe Bryant’s co-star. The pair didn’t mesh from the jump, culminating in Howard getting dealt away and never really returning to being the Hall of Famer he was prior.
The second time Howard returned to L.A., it was in a role player capacity in 2020. He did exactly what was asked of him defensively and on the glass, leading to him to winning the first and only NBA championship of his career.
This week, reports surfaced that Howard was angling for a return to the Lakers.
Dwight Howard would like to play for the Lakers again I’m hearing. https://t.co/zhZKeVEd7k pic.twitter.com/dYf9OyCWQm
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) July 21, 2023
None of this should come as a huge surprise. Howard has spoken a lot recently about how much he wishes that 2020 Lakers squad had never broken up.
“That’s how we feel about the Lakers,” he said during a recent conversation with Complex.
“Man, it’s just something that we got this connection. I don’t know. It got to work. It got to work. But I do love the Lakers, man. We had the championship run there and I wish we would’ve had a chance to keep going because that was the squad right there. We had everything. We had everything.”
The problem with Howard is that he comes with a lot off-the-court baggage. This is a guy who couldn’t even remain controversy-free while playing overseas in China.
Complicating matters even further is Howard’s recent leaked text message controversy as part of a disturbing lawsuit filed against him.
Justin Fields had himself a busy week. https://t.co/xUPvDMC85s
— Game 7 (@game7__) July 22, 2023
The Lakers have obviously been saving a roster spot for a big man, but it’s hard to see the organization wanting Howard to be that big man.
After all, he has been around this whole time. If the front office wanted him, they could have already had him.
Will Howard and the Lakers one day find a way to reunite? Anything is possible, but at the moment, all signs point to the answer being a definitive ‘no.’
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
