Dwight Howard Claims Anthony Davis’s $37 Million Led To His Reduced Minutes With The Lakers

Dwight Howard was picked 1st in the 2004 NBA Draft and proved he was worthy of being such a selection immediately with the Orlando Magic. In his 5th year in the NBA, he led the Magic to the NBA Finals and were 3 wins away from being crowned NBA champions. 

However, as it become clear that Howard’s offensive limitations outweighed his 3x DPOY level defense, he found himself on the Los Angeles Lakers. Following the Howard-Kobe experiment failing miserably, Howard became quite the journeyman in the NBA, playing for teams like the Hornets, Sixers, Hawks, and Wizards. 

He would eventually find his way back on the Lakers in 2019-20, winning himself a title in the process. After a stint with the Sixers, he found his way back onto the purple and gold for a 3rd time but this was his least fruitful stay in LA as he would get merely 16 minutes of play and average less than 7 points a game.

Also read: “Anthony Davis is the Only One Who Could Match Up With Giannis”: Paul Pierce Has High Expectations From Lakers Superstar Whose Team is Losing Again

Dwight Howard talks about playing back-up to Anthony Davis 

Anthony Davis is set to earn $37 million this 2022-23 NBA season. Last year, he raked in $35 million from his Lakers contract. Him earning max level money constitutes him playing more minutes than any other player that is at his position. 

So, when Dwight Howard made it onto the Lakers roster, his minutes were severely reduced due to the fact that AD was already playing his position. Davis, who had avoided playing center throughout his career, finally bit the bullet and played the 5 for extended minutes. 

With Howard coming up in age and the Lakers already not having good spacing last season, playing both him and Davis together was anything but ideal. 

In a recent interview, Dwight explained how Davis’s contract being as high as it was, compared to his veteran’s minimum contract, was what led to him getting less minutes with the Lakers.

Dwight Howard doesn’t play in the NBA any longer 

After getting little to no interest from teams across the league, 37 year old Dwight Howard made his way all the way to the Taiwanese T1 League. His debut saw him drop a whopping 38 points and grab 25 boards while also attempting 10 3-pointers in the game. 

He’s since played only one other game for the Taoyuan Leopards, which resulted in a 94-103 loss where he had 23 points on 8-19 shooting from the field and grabbed 9 rebounds.

Also read: “Anthony Davis is not a Big Man”: 7-Foot Shaquille O’Neal’s Candid Take on The Brow’s Ranking Among All-Time Lakers Centers