Dwight Howard Says He Wasn't Scared Of Kobe Bryant

Dwight Howard Says He Wasn’t Scared Of Kobe Bryant

Mar 15, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and center Dwight Howard (12) watch from the bench during a game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t been a thing for two years since he signed with the Houston Rockets, but here we are still talking about it.

More from Houston Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers were banking on the idea of getting a top-notch free agent to come play with Kobe Bryant this offseason. They struck out. That’s led to talks about whether or not star players want to play with Kobe, and the fact that Dwight Howard left the Lakers after one season is used as the primary example.

According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Howard maintains that he left the Lakers for Houston, not to get away from Kobe.

"“I didn’t leave LA because I was afraid of Kobe Bryant,” Howard said. “I went to a good situation for myself. I can’t change people’s opinions, but I did what I had to do for myself.”"

Howard had some final thoughts on the recent reports of players not wanting to play for the Lakers to avoid playing with Kobe.

"“People have different reasons for why they go play for different teams,” Howard said. “It’s over with now. There’s no need to continue to talk about it. It happened."

I never bought the idea that star players didn’t want to play with Kobe. The free agents this season were LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony. James wasn’t going to sign with a third NBA team, and his decision was between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. Bosh had suitors in better condition to compete for a championship and Anthony wouldn’t have been able to get as money from the Lakers as he got with the New York Knicks, nor would he have been on a contender like the Chicago Bulls.

It’s not Kobe people don’t want to play with, it’s the rest of those Lakers.

More from FanSided

Home/Houston Rockets