Dwight Howard Reveals What Really Happened With Kobe

At the time, the partnership between the two NBA icons was highly anticipated. In the wake of Orlando's 2009 Finals defeat to the Lakers, where Bryant's team denied Howard his first championship opportunity, Howard revealed that he was never interested in playing for LA. He explained that his long history of competing against the Lakers created an immediate psychological barrier, hindering his ability to live up to the organization's lofty expectations: 

"I didn't want to go to the Lakers because I wanted to beat the Lakers. They just beat us in the finals."

Howard's conversation with Gil's Arena shed new light on the infamous 2012-13 season, when the Lakers assembled what seemed like a superteam with Bryant (a five-time NBA champion and 18-time All-Star at the time), Howard, and Steve Nash. However, Howard was still recuperating from back surgery while dealing with the emotional aftermath of his departure from Orlando.

"I'm just coming off injury, I'm still dealing with all the mental stuff from being in Orlando. And now I got to go to LA and I'm playing with Kobe Bryant. I watched him play, they beat us in the finals."

Howard - the former No. 1 overall pick - disclosed that his preference had always been to join the Brooklyn Nets, where he could "just start my whole career over." Instead, he found himself thrust into a pressure-cooker situation in Los Angeles, trying to live up to comparisons with one of the NBA's most legendary partnerships - Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal.

Reflecting on his departure from the Lakers after just one season, Howard acknowledged his decision-making was flawed, based more in emotion than logic: 

"Kobe and I didn't really make a smart logical decision. I just made an emotional decision. I should have stayed that whole year."

Looking back on the failed season, Howard's relationship with Bryant became a cautionary tale about the challenges of pairing superstar talents. While Bryant was known for his relentless work ethic and demanding leadership style - earning five championships - Howard's more lighthearted approach and injury struggles created an oil-and-water dynamic that never quite meshed.

Though Howard would later return to Los Angeles and win a championship in 2020, his initial stint with Bryant remains one of the NBA's most intriguing "what-if" scenarios. His recent comments offer some valuable insight into the unexpected complexities of superstar partnerships as well as the personal toll of high expectations in professional sports.