Dwight Howard has a message for everyone who thinks he hates Kobe Bryant!
It’s not true he says.
Howard — an eight-time All-Star — admits that he and Bryant didn’t like each other when they were teammates on the Lakers, but he wants people know — via an L.A. Times interview — that “they don’t hate each other.”
They didn’t like each other. They really didn’t when they played together.
“I don’t know why — everybody just made it seem like we just hated each other. There’s no need for us to hate each other,” Howard said. “People always going to pass judgment on a situation. But that situation for me is over and done with.”
Howard had some more nice — scripted comments about Kobe as well.
“Kobe’s done excellent for the Lakers and I think a lot of the fans are just upset that I chose to go somewhere else to play basketball, so that’s understandable. There’s nothing I can do about it,” Howard said.
“And I don’t think he’s that upset about me leaving, because at the end of the day we’re all men and we make decisions based on our life. I don’t have an issue with him. I pray for the guy every day and I’m happy to see him go out on a high note.
Bryant “is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He’s just getting recognized in each city that he plays in for his accomplishments on the floor and all of us want to have that kind of reception when we’re about to finish our career,” Howard said.
“It’s great to see that from the fans and it makes you feel good, knowing that the hard work you put in, everybody around the world is just fascinated and they love it.”
Kudos to Dwight for squashing the beef with Kobe, as his saga with James Harden starts to ugly.