Throughout the 2012 season for the Los Angeles Lakers, it was pretty apparent that Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant did not get along. While Howard missed games for an injured shoulder, Bryant criticized him as soft. The two had zero chemistry on the court, leading to an overall disappointing year for the franchise. Now with Howard long gone and Bryant continuing his reign on top of the Lakers food chain, details are emerging of just how much Howard hated the Laker favorite.
CSN Bay Area reports that when Howard was beginning to consider his move in free agency, he went to the Lakers in early July and had a discussion about two issues, Bryant and Mike D'Antoni.
Howard demanded that D'Antoni be fired (no surprise) and that Bryant be amnestied or at least held back (never happening). Howard wanted the spotlight first and foremost. He wanted to go to a team that he could be "the guy" at. The only place that really allowed him that opportunity was Houston. The Lakers were not about to make Bryant take the backseat. When he re-signed his contract in 2004, Shaquille O'Neal was sent to Miami. Bryant is and always will be the face of the franchise.
"Dwight didn't want to play with Kobe for 2-3 more years," Jim Buss said, via CBSSports.com. "I'm going to stand behind Kobe because of his history with the franchise."
D'Antoni and Howard never worked. The head coach not figure out the right way to handle the big personality of the center and his style of play. D'Antoni also could not figure out how to get Howard, Pau Gasol, Bryant and Steve Nash to all mesh together into one productive unit.
According to Ric Bucher, the Lakers asked for patience from Howard on all fronts. They knew the team needed a little work and asked the center to just hang on for another year. After Howard left for Houston, D'Antoni was the first to say the center was never a Laker in the first place.
Bryant has no plans to leave his super star status. Once healthy again, he plans on staying in the league at least two to three more years. No one will be given the opportunity to challenge for the spotlight.