Kobe Bryant tried to teach Dwight Howard how to win a championship

Kobe Bryant has been very open talking about his past experiences with his teammates and his newest story is how he attempted to teach Dwight Howard how to win an NBA championship.

There isn’t another active player in the NBA who can stand on the same plateau as Kobe Bryant.

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Bryant has led the Lakers franchise to five NBA championships which is the most today in the game by any player. No one can go toe-to-toe with Bryant in accolades, merit or accomplishments.

Because Bryant is such an accomplished player, and has nearly 20 years experience playing professional basketball at the highest level, he understands what it takes to become a winner.

Back in 2013, when the Lakers traded for Dwight Howard and he was apart of their roster, Bryant thought that it was his best opportunity to win his sixth championship. So being the leader that he is, Bryant attempted to teach Howard, a person who’s played in one NBA finals, how to win a championship.

Commenting on Howard, Bryant said this:

"I tried teaching Dwight. I tried showing him. But the reality is that when you have a perception of what it is to win a championship – and most perceptions of what it’s like to win are a very outgoing, very gregarious locker room where you pick each other up and you’re friends all the time. That’s the perception. And I think that’s what his perception was of what the idea is. But when he saw the reality of it, it made him uncomfortable. And it’s very tough to be able to fight through that, to deal with that challenge. And I don’t think he was willing to deal with that uncomfortable and combative nature."

Bryant’s correct when he talks about how the perception is that of perfect harmony for championship teams. Let it be known that there are no perfect teams, and for every great team there’s normally a bit of conflict.

Some of the most recent examples include how LeBron James had verbal spats with Mario Chalmers back when the Miami Heat won back-to-back championships. Or even how Greg Popovich got into with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili during their championship runs.

Dec 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) celebrates after surpassing Michael Jordan on the NBA All-Time Scoring List during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Bryant gets a bad reputation for being a bad teammate. However, no matter what player has been apart of the Lakers franchise while Bryant was there, they have become a better basketball player.

Whether it’s Shaquille O’Neal, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, or Andrew Bynum, all of these players had conflict with Bryant at one point during their career and because of that conflict Bryant brought out the best in their games.

Even Smush Parker had a meaningful stint with the Lakers while he was playing with Bryant.

He might be a hard a**, but Bryant knows what he’s talking about. That’s why a player like Kevin Durant can say these words about Bryant:

"“I want to play with a winner every single night, especially somebody who wants to win that bad, who works that hard, who demands a lot, who raises up your level. I’d want to play with a guy like that every day. … (His style) may make people uncomfortable, how he acts and just how he approaches the game, but I love that type of stuff. I think (the accusation) is BS.”"

Bryant may never get the adulation from fans, the media, and other players in the league because of his personality, and clashes with teammates, but he’s still among the top five players to ever play the game of basketball.

If players want to win rings, which should be the goal, then they should listen up.

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