Dwight Howard has spoken candidly about his biggest regret during his time with the Lakers.
The Lakers tried to make a super team in 2012 comprising of three-time DPOY winner Howard, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta Sandiford-Artest.
LA made it to the playoffs, but were swept by San Antonio and Howard left after just one season and signed with Houston.
Looking back on it now, it’s something he regrets doing.
“That’s one thing that I wish I could go back and be like, ‘Let me make this decision wisely and weigh everything out,’” Howard said on his podcast Above The Rim With DH 12 podcast of his decision to sign with the Houston Rockets in 2013 (h/t theScore). “I don’t think I weighed my decision really, really well at the time. I think my emotions got the best of me because I was on this emotional low already from having to leave Orlando, then coming to the Lakers, and us not succeeding.”
The big man also went on to express regret about not appreciating Bryant as a teammate more.
“It was like, dang, if I was patient. If I was a little bit more patient, and I just trusted the process,” Howard said. “I sit back and look like, dang, if I would’ve really cherished those moments with Kobe as a teammate, and what it could’ve been if we would’ve had two, three, four years together playing basketball and how much better I would’ve got.
“Just all different types of things could’ve happened. I know I did make up for it by winning a championship, but I think it would’ve been a different story.”
Howard resigned with the Lakers in the 2019-20 season on a vet’s minimum contract and won a championship.
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