Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard are both names that loom large in the NBA’s recent history. In the late 00s and early 2010s, Kobe and Dwight were both perennial MVP candidates, with Kobe winning championships, one at the expense of Howard’s Orlando Magic. While the two might have stayed rivals for a while, there was considerable optimism when Howard followed the footsteps of Kobe’s former superstar partner, Shaq, and left the Orlando Magic to join the Lakers, albeit via trade.
However, the partnership with Kobe didn’t work like some might have expected it to, and Howard lasted just one season in Los Angeles. He was unable to do much and butted heads with Bryant, which made it unsurprising that he would sign with the Rockets in 2013 instead. The relationship between the two never bloomed on the court, although Howard recently revealed that they did get along off the court.
“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.”
But there’s no denying the friction that existed off the court, and it manifested itself in Kobe’s answer when he was asked about his relationship with Howard in 2013.
Kobe Bryant Had The Right Analogy To Describe His Equation With Dwight Howard In 2013
Kobe would go on to prove that he was great with words later in his career. So when he used an analogy to describe his relationship with Howard, it was a crazy one.
“Would you rather have a friend that you have sh*t in between your teeth or would you rather have a friend who’s going to have that uncomfortable moment to tell you that you have sh*t in your teeth so you don’t look like a fool in front of everybody else?
“He said, ‘I’d rather have the person that would tell me I have sh*t in my teeth.’ So I said, ‘Well, I’m telling you you have sh*t in your teeth.’”
For Kobe Bryant, everything was about being the best and winning basketball games. So his blunt nature and status in the game made it so that he could tell people whatever he needed, whoever they might be. And while that must have caused some problems with Howard, the two eventually buried the hatchet and will both retire, having won rings with the Lakers.
