Dwight Howard recently sat down with Stadium for a one-on-one interview with Shams Charania. Amid their wide-ranging discussion, the former No. 1 overall pick commented on what he believes derailed his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Well, I just think there were two big problems,” Howard said during his sit down interview with Stadium. “Injuries and ego. For a basketball team, those two things can make or break you. When you've got major guys on the team that get injured, it kind of takes away from what you're trying to accomplish.

“And then, when everybody isn't on the same page because of their egos and what they're being fed by people at home, agents and stuff like that… now you've got everybody just out there doing their own thing,” Howard said. “But when you take your ego away, leave it at home, throw it in the trash and just come to work and do your job, it makes everything a lot better.”

Howard was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Lakers in August of 2012. He wanted badly to make an impression with his new team, but injuries put a damper on his aspirations. He missed several games due to a recurring shoulder issue. Despite his ailment, several of his teammates, including Kobe Bryant, pushed for Howard to play through the pain. In the end, this created a bit of tension between the two players.

“When you look back at that year, what would you have done different if you were in that position again?,” Charania asked Howard.

“What would I have done different? I would say wait until I was healthy,” Howard replied. “I wanted so bad to show everybody that I was ready to play, but I wasn't 100 percent. I went out there and tried to give everything that I had, but I wanted to have fun doing it. I was like, ‘Man, this is L.A. I'm playing for the Lakers. I'm not about to come out here and look mean or crazy. I'm trying to come out here and have fun.'”

“I wouldn't have played until I was 100 percent,” Howard reiterated. “I was supposed to miss the whole season, and I came back in four or five months. I shouldn't have done it, but I wanted to win so bad.”

Howard also lamented the fact that he came off a bit selfish at that time:

“The other part would be just doing whatever the team need,” Howard said. “I think, at times, wanting to be selfish kind of cost everybody on the team — not just myself.”

At this point, it's not clear how well Howard will perform in his second stint with the Lakers. He's clearly happy to be back, and his mind seems to be in the right place.