Despite all his feuds and controversies, Dwight Howard cannot stand being questioned as a teammate. The allegations become even more hurtful when they come from one of his former teammates. A clip on a recent episode of the Entirely NBA Podcast, had Michael Carter-Williams taking a swipe at Howard. D12’s ex-teammate from Charlotte Hornets claimed that the 3x DPOY often contradicted his advice during games. According to Williams, D12 would agree to team strategies in meetings. But he then failed to stick to them in court, a statement that didn’t sit well with the 8-time All-Star.

Addressing the comments, Howard didn’t mince words. “So what he said that I didn’t listen in the locker room… Years after we wasn’t on the team and not in the locker room together… If we done had plenty of meetings as a team, if you mad enough to say it in front of the podcast people and everyone in the world, be mad enough to tell me in the locker room,” he said, calling out Williams for airing grievances publicly instead of addressing them face-to-face when it mattered.

D12, however, was not completely surprised by the claims because of what all he has faced in the past. “Somebody else said I was a cancer in the locker room… So again, if these things are being said, you can’t run about, run behind cameras and say it… Let me know if I was this type of way” he added, urging critics to confront him directly instead of making accusations from behind a mic.

To explain his side, Dwight Howard revisited his Orlando Magic days, when his coach entrusted him with leading the charge on defense. But he insists it wasn’t about inflating his ego. “‘He’s [Dwight] the center of defense. What he’s seeing out there, he’s seeing it from a view that y’all can’t see. This is his job,'” D12 shared, recalling the instructions he received.

This isn’t the first time the former Defensive Player of the Year has addressed such criticism. Speaking on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, D12 admitted that the label of a bad teammate had a lasting impact on him. “The one thing that I really hated was just hearing people say that I was a cancer in the locker room or I’m not good to have around teammates,” he said.

For Howard, such accusations don’t add up. He pointed to his 2016-17 NBA Teammate of the Year award with the Atlanta Hawks as proof of his positive presence. Some reports, however, presented the 2020 NBA champ in a different light as a teammate.

Michael Carter-Williams not the only Hornets player to bash Dwight Howard as a teammate

Brendan Haywood didn’t hold back when reflecting on Dwight Howard’s time with the Charlotte Hornets. In 2018, the former NBA player turned Sirius XM host shared insider gossip, claiming, “The locker room did not like Dwight Howard. Guys were just sick and tired of his act.” Haywood, who played for the Hornets from 2012 to 13, stayed in touch with players like Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, lending weight to his observations.

If Haywood’s words ring true, it’s not surprising. Howard has built a reputation for rubbing people the wrong way on and off the court. This isn’t a one-off problem—it’s a pattern. Remember the awkward episode with his Orlando Magic coach, Stan Van Gundy? Reports of Howard wanting Van Gundy fired had already surfaced when Howard decided to give the coach an on-camera hug mid-press conference. Van Gundy’s reaction was as telling as it was awkward. He recoiled and walked away, leaving everyone to connect the dots.

And then there was Kobe Bryant. Their brief partnership with the LA Lakers is remembered as much for its frustrations as its potential. While Dwight Howard brought physical dominance and high expectations to the team, his more relaxed approach to the game clashed with Bryant’s legendary intensity and relentless drive. The duo never fully meshed, with personality differences and differing philosophies on leadership creating tension.

Howard, though, has his side of the story. Speaking on the Entirely NBA Podcast, he called out his teammates for not addressing issues directly. Kobe, as we know from multiple reports, would be an exception to this. “We could have gotten that squared away a long time ago… Come on, Michael Carter Williams,” D12 closed his argument.