Dwight Howard did not have the greatest time with the Los Angeles Lakers. The current Charlotte Hornets big man spent just one disappointing season in L.A. along with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash in 2012-13 before leaving in free agency.
Lakers fans seemingly haven’t forgotten Howard’s unsatisfying stint, and they reminded him of that fact when he returned to Staples Center with the Hornets. However, Howard suggests that those people should move on and realize he still played relatively well considering his health situation at the time.
Per Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints:
Dwight Howard on Lakers fans: “At some point they get over it, it wasn’t like that… I had a good time. I thought I played very well, despite just coming off of back surgery & also tearing a labrum, which I guess means nothing to people.”
Despite getting some stick from Lakers fans, Dwight Howard had the last laugh on his return to L.A. this time around. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds to help the Hornets to a comfortable 108-94 win.
Aside from his injury issues during that ill-fated season with the Lakers, Howard also clashed with Bryant as well as head coach Mike D’Antoni in what was a bad year all around for him on and off the court. Given how disappointing his season there went, it was no surprise that he opted to move on at the end of the year.
Things haven't been so great for both Dwight Howard and the Lakers ever since he left L.A. And until the Lakers return to prominence, the team's fans likely won't let Howard off the hook for how badly he flopped, regardless of the extenuating circumstances.
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