Former NBA star Dwight Howard has revealed that he by no means wished to hitch the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012, claiming the Orlando Magic had promised to commerce him to the Brooklyn Nets as an alternative.
Howard defined that he agreed to waive his early termination choice after Orlando assured him that he could be despatched to Brooklyn, the place he had hoped to proceed his profession.
“The Magic instructed me if I signed my early termination choice (ETO), no matter that was known as again then, they was going to ship me straight to Brooklyn.”
The previous Defensive Participant of the 12 months mentioned he was enthusiastic about the opportunity of becoming a member of the Nets and had already begun discussing the transfer.
“Trigger I used to be like, man, I’m going to Brooklyn. I used to be simply telling him about it.”
Nevertheless, Orlando finally traded Howard to the Lakers in August 2012 as a part of a four-team deal, sending him to a vacation spot he claims he had particularly wished to keep away from.
“They usually despatched me to the Lakers, the place I didn’t need to go. I used to be pissed. I didn’t need to go to the Lakers.”
Howard joined a Lakers roster that includes Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol, however his first season in Los Angeles was marked by accidents, inconsistent performances, and questions on his match with the workforce.
The Lakers have been eradicated by the San Antonio Spurs within the first spherical of the 2013 NBA playoffs, and Howard subsequently left Los Angeles to signal with the Houston Rockets in free company.
Howard ultimately returned to the Lakers in 2019 and helped the franchise win the 2020 NBA championship.
