Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center Dwight Howard took some swipes at his former Orlando Magic teammates in a recent televised interview where he says he played on a team "full of people who nobody wanted."
During a sit down interview with a local Los Angeles CBS affiliate, Howard responded to the criticism about his tendency to smile and kid around during practices and games. Hos comment about his former Magic teammates was said towards the end, which gave larger answer to the question.
"And I understand coming here to L.A., Kobe's here and for 17 years Laker fans have seen Kobe be, they just see Kobe as somebody who's serious. It seems like he doesn't fool around, joke around, whatever it may be. But that's his personality, and just because I don't necessary make a [growling sound] or do all that during games or on the bench, that doesn't mean I don't care about succeeding or wanting to win.
"And I always tell people, 'Hey, my team in Orlando was a team full of people who nobody wanted, and I was the leader and I led that team with a smile on my face."
In Dec. 2011, Howard requested a trade from the Magic. After his request became public knowledge, he said publicly that Magic officials hadn't done enough to act on his suggestions to improve the team's roster.
The Magic and Lakers have played each other this season once before, with the Magic beating the Lakers 113-103. Howard and his former teammates - Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis and J.J. Redick - barely spoke to each other during that game.
Howard will make his return to Orlando on March 12 for the first time since April 5, 2012.
Here's a sample of Howard's interview:
