Dwight Howard reveals Kobe Bryant's message during rumors of his rift with Lakers

Dwight Howard recalled the time when Kobe Bryant told him off before the big man left the LA Lakers in his first stint. In the 2012-13 NBA season, Howard joined the Lakers to play alongside Bryant and Steve Nash. It was a big three that everyone thought would dominate the league. However, things turned out otherwise and rumors suggest that it was Kobe who ran the new stars out of the team.

Howard clarified the rumors on Paul George's podcast, 'Podcast P,' and told everyone that Bryant didn't drive him off the team. The former Lakers man revealed that Kobe didn't mind if he stayed or left LA. Meaning to say, if Dwight decided to stay after his first year with the Purple and Gold, it would've been okay with the Black Mamba.

"The only thing Kobe [Bryant] did say during that time was "If you wanna leave, then leave. If you wanna stay, then stay." That's all the only thing he said," Howard said at timestamp 1:03:53.

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How Dwight Howard redeemed himself at Lakers

Dwight Howard revealed his real reason for leaving the LA Lakers. The main reason why Howard joined LA in the first place was he felt like he could grow from playing alongside Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. The big man hoped that one day he could fill in the shoes of a leadership role with the Lakers. However, things went south when everyone in LA turned on Howard.

Dwight Howard then found a better opportunity with the Houston Rockets. He saw the potential in their lineup, which consisted of an up-and-coming James Harden and Jeremy Lin. Howard then liked the idea of being able to work and learn from NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon. All these factors plus the criticism he received from LA drove him out of the Lakers.

Of course, his career decisions didn't sit well with fans and resulted in the goofy big man becoming one of the most hated players in the league at the time. Fast forward seven years later, the Lakers phoned him up once more in 2019 to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. At this point in Howard's career, he had grown into a more mature player and wanted to redeem himself.

True enough, Dwight Howard didn't mind playing fewer minutes than usual and being a bench player on the team. Howard trusted the process and played his role to heart. Ultimately, he won his first championship, helping Davis win his first title and James win his fourth ring in the 2020 NBA Finals.