It was 2012, nearly eight years since Shaquille O’Neal left the LA Lakers, and the team was still searching for that next big duo to reignite championship glory with Kobe Bryant. When Dwight Howard was brought in, hopes were sky high.  But the reality wouldn’t meet it. Persistent back issues marred the star center’s first season with the Lakers, and as the team struggled, the blame fell squarely on Howard’s shoulders.

On a recent Above The Rim with DH 12 podcast, Gilbert Arenas recalled a conversation with Howard where the big man confessed he kept playing through his injury, hoping fans would appreciate his commitment to the team. “That showed how good he really was and how athletic he was,” Arenas noted.

The 2020 champion had made it to the All-Star six times and was averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds when he was traded to the Lakers in 2012. However, along with his better performance, also came Howard’s back injury — a herniated disk. He was forced into surgery then, a six-month break, a recurring injury, and as Arenas notes, immense pressure in that one-year period.

“Nobody in the history that had the surgery came back in six months,” Arenas further points. But Howard returned to be the Lakers’ second-best player behind Kobe Bryant. His average dropped to 17 points but he pressured himself to do more. The constant backlash weighed heavily on Howard’s mind, eventually becoming one of the main reasons he decided to leave the Lakers.

“that’s why I made the emotional decision when I left LA. I didn’t really sit down and make a logical decision. I was so pissed off. Like I just played from a back surgery… that’s the worst surgery you can have,” adds Howard, who played every game gambling with his future. Because one wrong move could have left him in a wheelchair.

Back in 2022 on the All The Smoke podcast, Howard echoed those same sentiments, emphasizing the severity of his situation. “People don’t understand how serious that surgery was and what was going on in my back,” he said. Despite coming back strong with impressive stats and even leading the league in rebounds, he faced backlash and accusations of a poor season.

Even Kobe Bryant weighed in on the situation, who saw the whole situation in a different lense.

Kobe Bryant sheds light on Dwight Howard’s mindset

Kobe Bryant was known for his relentless Mamba Mentality expecting the same fierce dedication from his teammates. But when it came to Dwight Howard, Bryant saw things differently. Back in 2013, Bryant told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan that Howard was more concerned about his image than his performance.

Bryant said, “Dwight worries too much about what people think. I told him, ‘You can’t worry about that. It’s holding you back.’” According to Kobe, Howard’s need for approval often overshadowed his game. “He just wants people to like him. He doesn’t want to let anyone down, and that gets him away from what he should be doing,” Bryant added.

From Howard’s lens on the other hand, he wanted to meet the expectations of the new Kobe-Shaq duo that he and Bryant were looked forward to being. He was ready too. But the ripple effect from his injury, the fans’ reactions, the pressure just did not let it transpire to the T. Nonetheless, he finished the season averaging 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, and making the All-Star for the seventh time.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.