Dwight Howard is making the most of his newfound role during his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, but it has also given him an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong during his first time in L.A.
Howard admitted to never wanting to return to the Lakers after his uncomfortable first stint in 2012-13, per Mirjam Swanson in the Long Beach Press-Telegram:
“I was really upset about how things ended the last time I was in L.A.” Dwight Howard said in his IG live interview with Lakers teammate Jared Dudley. “I felt like I got so much criticism for leaving and so I was like, ‘Man, I would never go back.' You know? I hated that place. I was just so upset.
“And last summer I was really working on being able to forgive and allowing my ego to leave and just work on forgiving people and situations that I felt like I was wronged in but not looking at the picture like, ‘What did I do in that situation?' I was like, ‘I gotta forgive.'”
Howard arrived on the Lakers back in 2012 in a massive sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic, the team he led to a Finals appearance (losing to the Purple and Gold franchise). Things didn't go right, however.
While Howard played alright, the Lakers did not come together. Moreover, key injuries to aging star point guard Steve Nash and veteran big man Pau Gasol hampered any chance of a Finals run for Kobe Bryant, Dwight and the rest of the team.
Now Howard is back in L.A., signing what was initially a non-guaranteed deal last summer only to play very well off the bench for the currently LeBron James-helmed Lakers squad.
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