Lebron James and Kobe Bryant Are Surprisingly Ranked Third and Fourth on Dwight Howard’s List of All-Time Greats

In a recent interview, former Los Angeles Lakers big man Dwight Howard, who once shared the court alongside LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, listed the two as two of the greatest athletes in history. If anything, the solution surprises you.

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were ranked third and fourth on Howard’s GOAT list while he was a guest on Math Hoffa’s Expert Opinion podcast.

After that, he added that James was third and Kobe was fourth. Even though James’ ranking as the third greatest is a massive surprise, Julius Erving’s list is more superior and more accurate than James’. Howard had the unique experience of playing alongside some legendary players throughout his three stints with the Lakers. Howard averaged 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game in his lone season with the Laker. He signed a non-guaranteed contract for 2019–20, and the Lakers used him as a key piece of their championship-winning lineup.

Later, Howard played with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan’s T1 league, where he was successful, averaging 23.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists during his first season.

Dwight Howard contrasted the locker room leadership philosophies of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James

With 18 years of NBA experience, Howard has faced both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as foes and colleagues. When he spent time in the locker room with both legends, he made some notes about their leadership philosophies.

"[LeBron's] joking, silly, have a good time… Kobe ain't bullsh*tting with nobody. He might not come to the locker room to talk."

Dwight Howard on the difference between being on a team with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

(via @MATHHOFFA)pic.twitter.com/5WECBK4Cxh

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 2, 2023

“LeBron’s almost at like somebody from the south side of Georgia. We actin’ kind of like twins. Joking, (being) silly, having a good time. We get on the court, we still gonna have a good time but we’re gonna dominate. Kobe, he not bulls***ing with nobody. He might not come to the locker room to talk, so he’s just gonna walk all the way past us.”

The justification was entirely accurate. The Black Mamba would enter his game mode, which required entering a state of flow. There wouldn’t be any pranks or mischief going on. Howard would have been able to see firsthand how severe his work ethic was. Despite having different leadership philosophies, they got the job done. Now, only time will tell if LeBron can lead the team to another championship and if Howard will get another chance to play with him if he returns to the NBA.