In 2012, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard joined forces for the first time on the Lakers. As two of the best players in the league at the time, the duo was burdened with big expectations from the start — expectations that they were never able to meet.
After struggling all season long to secure a top-8 position, they lost in the first round of the playoffs where they got swept by the Spurs.
As things were going poorly on the court, countless stories and headlines emerged about a fractured relationship between Howard and his teammates. They started to slowly drift away from his influence.
Dwight Howard Finally Reveals The True Nature of His Relationship With Kobe Bryant
In a recent chat with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on ‘All the Smoke’ podcast, Dwight finally revealed the truth about his relationship with Kobe and detailed how they used to hang out all the time.
“Off the court, we had some times together in Vegas where we had some parties just chilling and you see Kobe in a different light. We just talking and kicking the s**t, you know. I remember going to his house one time and he liked that movie Pitch Perfect. And so he’s like, ‘you seen that movie Pitch Perfect?’ And I’m like ‘yeah I like that movie.’ And he’s like ‘yeah I like it too.’ I’m like ‘man, get the f**k outta here you don’t like no Pitch Perfect. Ain’t no way, I’m thinking you watch all these crazy a** type movies about killing people.”
Bryant always kept things about business on the basketball court. He was an assassin, a cold-blooded killer, and he never took his eyes off the goal. But he was someone else in the streets and behind closed doors.
Howard got to see a side of Bryant that very few ever did. And, despite what may have happened in the NBA world, he was never truly at odds with Bryant.
“As a kid watching Kobe did, coming out of High School, Kobe dunking on you, you in the Olympics with Kobe, and then you on Kobe’s team, and then you arguing with each other and… I don’t care what people say, me and Kobe connected,” said Howard. “I look back at all the pictures I got of just me and him together so when people say Kobe don’t f**k with you like that, I just laugh.”
Dwight never got the chance for a do-over with Bryant, but he did help deliver a title to the Lakers a few years after he left. During their run in 2020, Howard played his role to perfection and was a key contributor during the postseason.
His time with the Purple and Gold is likely over for good now, but it doesn’t mean he can’t look back and appreciate the connections and relationships he formed there along the way.
