Dwight Howard has had the good fortune to play alongside Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and in a recent podcast, he opened up about their key differences and similarities.
“They have this presence, and when Kobe walks into the room or LeBron walks into the room, their presence is there and you feel it,” Howard said on the OGs Podcast. “Kobe was like a silent killer. He didn't say much. LeBron likes to have fun, he wants to make jokes, but when he gets on the court you know he can turn that switch on, it's crazy to watch.
“The aspect of your mind, LeBron makes every play like a coach, and Kobe is like give me the ball and I'll handle it, and I think that's the two differences.”
Howard also said that if he had his way, his first game with the Lakers in 2012-13 would not have happened. LA never clicked that season and injuries tore the team apart.
“At that time, I actually told the Magic that the one place I didn't want to go was the Lakers,” Howard said. “It wasn't an offense to the Lakers fans or anything like that but we just lost in the finals to the Lakers and I'm like man, I want to beat Kobe. I want to beat the Lakers, not join the Lakers.”
While Howard never got the chance to beat Bryant in the Finals, he won a championship with the Lakers in 2020 when he returned to his second place with the team. The Lakers dedicated that season to Kobe and often wore their Black Mamba jerseys in his honor.
READ MORE: Dwight's Amazing Story About Playing Mind Games With Nikola Jokic
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