In a world full of endless NBA rumors, Dwight Howard just delivered one plot twist we didn’t see coming. On Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, Dwight didn’t hold back when discussing that tricky relationship with none other than Kobe Bryant. We’re talking about the late, great Black Mamba, who, if you ask any Lakers fan, didn’t seem to mesh well with Dwight back in the day. But Dwight? Oh, he’s here to set the record straight—and boy, did he bring receipts.
Kobe Said What Now? Sharpe, ever the master instigator, came at Dwight with a rumor that’s been floating around longer than Dwight’s career itself: apparently, Kobe wasn’t exactly a fan of Howard’s cough “work ethic.” The former Lakers center looked visibly baffled. “There’s no way he said that,” Howard quickly shot back. “Nobody in the NBA can say anything about my work ethic! My body’s better now than when I first entered the league!” (Cue the gym selfie montage, Dwight.)
Sure, Dwight. That’s why half the NBA has your number on speed dial for pickup games, right?
But Wait, There’s More… Then came Shannon’s sucker punch: “But Kobe called you soft, right?” The mere mention of this had Dwight launching into a defense quicker than his free throws—oh wait, maybe that’s a bad example. He adamantly denied rejecting a Lakers contract extension and the whole billboard fiasco: “No max contract! No billboards! I went to Houston for James Harden, not because of some imaginary L.A. signage,” he claimed, practically willing us to believe him with the intensity of someone who’s spent years fighting this narrative.
You’ve got to admire the man’s persistence. Dwight’s been defending himself for months now, and yet here we are, still talking about it. A masterclass in PR or just a guy caught in a never-ending loop of “he said, she said”?
Houston, We Have… Dwight? Howard doubled down on his reason for ditching L.A., stating he joined the Houston Rockets for one simple reason: a young, fiery James Harden. “I saw a menace I could grow with,” he declared, as if Harden was some kind of adorable yet terrifying Chia Pet. Because nothing says championship potential like side-stepping max contracts to hang out with a beard that, let’s be honest, would eventually overshadow both of them in the press.
As for Dwight’s discomfort during the interview, well, let’s just say he looked like he was still dodging Kobe’s imaginary billboards. Months later, the man’s still working overtime to convince everyone that his NBA story wasn’t written by TMZ. If Howard keeps at this rate, he might just start a podcast to clear up all the rumors—a weekly series on debunking every myth surrounding his career. Now that I’d tune in for!
So, was Dwight Howard soft? Did Kobe really think he was a slacker? We may never know. But one thing’s for sure—Dwight is definitely not done explaining himself anytime soon.