Dwight Howard, a professional basketball player, had the opportunity to play alongside both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. In a recent podcast interview, he discussed 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 can feel it,” Howard said on The OGs Podcast. “Kobe was more so like a silent killer. He didn’t really talk too much. LeBron loves to have fun, he wants to make jokes, but when he gets on the court you know he can turn that switch, it’s crazy to watch.
“The mental aspect of it, LeBron is doing all the plays he’s like the coach, and Kobe’s like give me the ball and I’m going to handle it, and I think those are the two differences.”
Howard also revealed that he did not initially want to join the Lakers during his first stint in 2012-13. Unfortunately, injuries and lack of chemistry affected the team’s performance that season.
“At the time, I had actually told the Magic the one place I didn’t want to go was the Lakers,” Howard said. “It was no offense to the Lakers fans or anything like that but we had 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 go join the Lakers.”
Although Howard didn’t get the opportunity to face Bryant in the Finals, he did eventually win a championship with the Lakers in 2020 during his second stint with the team. The Lakers paid tribute to Kobe that season by wearing their Black Mamba jerseys in his honor.
READ MORE: Dwight’s Amazing Story About Playing Mind Games With Nikola Jokic
