Dwight Howard is quite proud of the fact that he ruined the chance of a Kobe Bryant-vs-LeBron James matchup in 2009 during his stint with the Orlando Magic. Subsequently, Howard had a chance to become the sweetheart of Los Angeles. In 2012, he joined forces with Kobe Bryant in the City of Angels. Widely touted as one of the most dominant big men of all time, acquiring Howard was a clear statement from the Lakers that they were eyeing the Championship. However, the story never saw its desired conclusion. The eight-time All-Star was recruited by the Lakers again in 2019 for a final shot to do what he couldn’t do with the Mamba. He joined LeBron James and Co. and eventually, a year later, won the NBA championship for the LA side. Recently, Howard flexed his $150,000 Lakers championship ring in an Instagram video while highlighting his incredible journey with the Lakers.
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When Howard was with the Orlando Magic, he was one of the best players in the league. One could perhaps say that he was almost neck-and-neck with Kobe and Bron. During their prime years, all three stars crossed paths with each other. In 2009 alone, Howard defeated James in the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost against Kobe Bryant in the Finals.
Dwight Howard shows off his NBA ring while highlighting his NBA journey
Howard recently uploaded a video on Instagram of him flexing his NBA championship ring beside a pool. The caption of the video read, “POV: you ruined Kobe [Bryant] Vs LeBron [James], Then joined Kobe with the Lakers but lost. Then joined LeBron with the Lakers & won.”
Alluding to the Magic’s run to the Finals in 2009, Howard poked a sore wound. NBA fans were stoked to witness a Kobe vs LeBron showdown in the NBA Finals in 2009. Brands like Nike utilized the hype to create commercials. However, all the noise seemed to have upset Howard and his Orlando side as they went on to destroy LeBron’s Cavaliers in the East Finals with a chip on their shoulders. The Magic eventually lost to the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers in the Finals.
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Later on, the three-time DPOY joined hands with Bryant in 2012 in the hope of winning his maiden championship. However, the pairing didn’t work out. But the 37-year-old came back to Los Angeles again in 2019 and joined forces with James on the Lakers roster. He eventually won his only Championship in 2020 with the Lakers.
Howard admitted Nike making LeBron-vs-Kobe ads in 2009 made him very angry
The 2009 year could have been one of the biggest NBA seasons ever. There was a possibility that Bryant and James would finally meet one another in the postseason. Nike grabbed the opportunity to market the budding anticipation and made a series of ads endorsing Kobe-vs-LeBron.
Dwight Howard told Shannon Sharpe, during an appearance on his podcast a while ago, that he was infuriated with the ads. According to the former Magic star, those ads from Nike not only undermined the Magic that year but also were also in a way disrespectful towards him. When he was asked about the ads, he said, “I’m glad I ruined it.” The Magic defeated LeBron and the Cavs in the ECF but lost to Kobe and the Lakers in the Finals.
