NBA Legend, Who Played Alongside Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Once Nearly Lost His Life Due to Bizarre Food Addiction

Very few have had the opportunity to play with NBA legend the late Kobe Bryant and also with superstar LeBron James. And 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner Dwight Howard is one of the few to have played with both. The Orlando Magic selected Howard as the #1 pick in the 2004 NBA draft. He struggled offensively at first, however, averaged a double-double in his rookie season. And made the all-rookie first team. He slowly worked on his offense and soon became one of the superstars of the league.

In the 2008-09 season, Howard was having a great season on both ends of the court. He became the youngest player in the history of the NBA to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. He also took the Magic to the Finals to play against Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. But lost the Finals series 4-1 despite great efforts.

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Things between Bryant and Howard flared up now and then when they played against each other. However, Howard would later join Bryant with the Lakers in 2012. But he did not have the best of times in Los Angeles.

Dwight Howard joins Kobe Bryant and the Lakers

When Dwight Howard joined the Lakers, there was a huge hype. Many expected him to emulate Shaquille O’Neal, who also moved to the Lakers after taking the Magic to the Finals. However, Howard was not as dominant as Shaq on the offensive end. And he also suffered some nagging injuries. As per reports, Howard had a sugar addiction that almost cost him his life.

Howard said, “As I got older it just kept going. I just started to love skittles and all I wanted was skittles, skittles, skittles, and starbursts. And then, you know, I couldn’t stop.”

In 2012, Howard was consuming 840 grams of sugar per day which is 11 times more than an average American. And he started to feel the difference in his body. He said that even when he just sat in a chair, his legs would go numb. And it also happened when he was playing.

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The Lakers physician learned about his candy addiction and gave him some valuable advice. She said that if he doesn’t drop the habit, he might not only lose his NBA career but could also lose his life. After Dwight heard that, he decided to change his eating habit and started eating healthy.

In 2019, he came back to the Lakers and played alongside LeBron James to finally win a title. Even though he was not the superstar he once was, he played his part.