Dwight Howard apparently learned his lesson the hard way: Don’t mess with the King.
That’s King James, for those keeping score at home. Howard recently revealed that he was let go by the Los Angeles Lakers for calling LeBron a bad word.
Howard and former James teammate Mario Chalmers were on a podcast together, and Chalmers was asked what he would say to James when they had a conflict while playing together.
“Stop acting like a b—,” Chalmers said. “That’s it.”
Howard laughed.
“I said that, man, and I got kicked off the Lakers,” Howard responded.
He went on to say, “You can’t say that (to LeBron).”
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Howard was seemingly referring to his second Lakers stint. Plenty has been written about his conflicts with Kobe Bryant earlier in his career, but the center returned to L.A. for the 2019-20 season.
Howard helped the Lakers win a title as an effective piece off the bench, averaging 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
Apparently James wasn’t too offended, because after Howard left and played a season for the 76ers, he was back with the Lakers. Although who knows — this conversation doesn’t give us a clear timeframe, and maybe the last word Howard ever said before being dismissed by his last NBA team in 2022 was that bad word starting with a ‘b’.
Howard was the No. 1 overall pick a year after James, also out of high school. At his peak, he was one of the most impactful centers in NBA history, a surefire Hall of Famer who won three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Howard, now 39, has been retired for three seasons. Meanwhile, the 40-year old James is averaging 25-8-8 for the Lakers, although he’s now out with a groin injury.
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