Kobe Bryant vs. Dwight Howard: No Love Lost
It’s always interesting how narratives can change, evolve over time, molded to the situation that is currently in front of us.
Only a few years ago, Dwight Howard was a Los Angeles Laker. It was clear that he was heir to throne of the Laker empire, set to take over a storied franchise and lead them to playoff glory, gathering the spoils of war in the process; fame, fortune, a few television appearances, and maybe even a movie role or two.
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After leading the Orlando Magic to a NBA Finals appearance against the same Los Angeles Lakers, Howard now was set to reap the benefits of wearing their colors.
It was everything he supposedly wanted; the spotlight. In the bright lights of Los Angeles, Dwight could build his brand, and even though it seemed to not appeal to him personally, become the next face in the pantheon of Laker big men.
The set up was great, he would be playing the highest profile teammates of his career, and after leaving a declining situation with the Magic, should experience the team success that he said he craved.
There was one problem, though. The throne that Dwight Howard was promised was currently occupied by one Kobe Bryant. The man was a living legend, touted as the greatest Los Angeles Laker of all-time by Magic Johnson, and the owner of five championship rings.
Bryant helped sustain the Laker empire with his two most-recent championship wins, and was primed to add a wealth of NBA records to his growing list of achievements. Above all else, he was going to provide the most invaluable piece he could to his newest teammate; he was going to show him how to win, and win big.
Success can be the heaviest burden to carry. Kobe Bryant had clearly begun to decline as a player, and rightfully so with more than 15 seasons of NBA experience not including the minutes from his deep playoff runs. His prowess remained in his offensive ability, but overall Dwight Howard was clearly the more valuable asset in the big picture with his youth and defensive contributions.
Still, Bryant would not relinquish the crown to an empire he had overseen for so long, through times good and bad, and this created a great rift between the two stars.
With it being clear that Bryant was not ready to take a backseat to anyone, and Dwight Howard ready for his time in the spotlight, the two struggled to collaborate. Their communication styles differed vastly, and their personality differences resembled something of a head-on automobile collision.
With Dwight at the end of his contract, slated to become a free agent, both sides had drawn a line in the sand; Howard wanted Bryant either gone or knocked down a peg and Kobe was unwilling to set his ego aside for the sake of Dwight’s. In the summer of 2013, Dwight Howard became one of the biggest names to willingly depart the Los Angeles Lakers.
Fast forward to NBA Opening Night 2014. Dwight Howard is entering his second season with the Houston Rockets, preparing to play the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in the first game of the season. Kobe Bryant is slated to make his return to the court following multiple serious injuries, and play against his former running mate for the first time since the effort to bring the talented duo together.
The narratives have changed drastically since that time, evolving for both players in ways both fair and unjust.
Dwight Howard, after being claimed the key to drive the Los Angeles Lakers to multiple championship victories, has since been labeled as “too nice” and “too soft” to win big in the league. Howard has had his drive questioned, his “greatness” as a player scrutinized, as well as seen his well-liked persona turn into something of a polarizing one.
Kobe Bryant, after shedding much of the scrutiny when he team was winning, is back to being labeled as selfish and a bad teammate. A recent article claim that Bryant, not the deteriorating front office or roster, is the reason that many high-profile (although nameless) free agents have declined to join up in Los Angeles.
Comments have been made about Bryant’s greed, financially and on the stat sheet, and he has been all but left for dead in the twilight of his NBA career.
All of this because two co-workers could not get along. All of this because of unrealistic expectations unmet. All of this because the pieces simply did not fit together.
The drama, both self-induced and through that of the media, all came to a head in the first game of the 2014-15 NBA season. After grabbing a rebound, Dwight Howard found himself crowded by Kobe Bryant, attempting to disrupt an outlet pass in a game that was clearly out of hand.
Howard attempted to clear space, but Bryant did not relent; the result was an elbow square to Kobe Bryant’s face. Bryant took exception, and the two exchanged some heated words.
In that moment, it became clear to anyone who refused to believe it beforehand, that these two players genuinely, truly had dislike for one another.
Kobe Bryant grew up in an era where rivals existed in the NBA, where bloodshed was necessary evil to capture the only thing that mattered; championships.
Dwight Howard was brought up in the new-look NBA, the one born of AAU basketball, where most everybody gets along, and winning is a side effect of something equally important; having fun.
Which side is preferred, or which side is right (if either), is all subjective. What is clear is that in this case is the two attitudes did not mix, and through a year (and then some) of cultivation, the frustration finally boiled over for both parties.
When Dwight Howard left for the Houston Rockets, this story should have faded quickly. The reasons behind the failed experiment were obvious, but we kept pressing, kept asking “why?”. This feud, and this story, is not going anywhere now. For the rest of Kobe Bryant’s career, Lakers vs. Rockets match-ups will be must see TV.
Sides will be chosen each contest, and stories will be spawned detailing the latest chapter in the Dwight-Kobe saga. For both players, it’s a narrative that will follow them for their entire careers, a ghost that will haunt them always.
All because oil and water failed to mix.