Amidst the excitement over the ongoing NBA Finals, Dwight Howard suddenly decided to turn back the pages. The 38-year-old subsequently looked back on his then-Orlando Magic team’s magical run to the 2009 NBA Finals. However, the 2020 champion had other plans in mind as he utilized the opportunity to hilariously call out the league’s governing body using LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as references.
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As per Howard, the NBA had conspired a matchup between Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers and James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in that finals. The superstars of the game consequently even paired up for an advertisement together to build the premise for the series. However, the Magic winning the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavs abruptly pondered those plans.
Mockingly outlining this incident as ‘breaking the script’, Howard wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I broke the script lol the script was supposed to be Bron vs Kobe they even made a commercial”.
I broke the script lol the script was supposed to be Bron vs Kobe they even made a commercial 🤣 https://t.co/mwT6iRAyk4
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) June 8, 2024
This statement surfaced because of his initial declaration on the platform. After the Dallas Mavericks faced a humiliating 89-107 defeat against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Howard shared an ambiguous remark. Hinting at how the league might yet again be conspiring against Kyrie Irving, D-12 wrote, “Will the script allow Kyrie to win”.
https://twitter.com/DwightHoward/status/1799404225002385663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
This statement received mixed reactions from the NBA community, raising the eyebrows of several. Continuing on this narrative, one fan, in particular, mocked Howard for losing to Bryant’s 2009 finals, replying, “Why didn’t the script let you win against Kobe in the finals? I was perplexed when that script was released”.
Why didn’t the script let you win against Kobe in the finals? I was perpexled when that script was released
— Chris Reilly (@C_Reilly5) June 8, 2024
So, Howard’s recent questionable comments served as an immediate reaction to this ridicule. As a result, it remained difficult to consider them as the ultimate truth at face value. Additionally, his words carried an underlying tone of accusation toward the league, steering the argument in a much more serious direction than it initially was.
That said, one factor remains undeniable. To this day, Howard remains the kryptonite in the chapters of the Bryant-James rivalry.
Dwight Howard filled LeBron James with lifelong regret
The 2009 season saw LeBron James win his first MVP, and the Cavs cruise to a 66-16 season. Many predicted that Bron would make it to his second-ever NBA Finals series. On top of this, he was on the brink of facing one of his childhood idols in the 2009 Finals. However, it wasn’t meant to be as the Magic won the conference finals with an authoritative 4-2 run.
Later in his career, it paved the way for a massive regret for James. So much so that he once even told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, “I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain in 2009 for the fans, for us, to meet in the Finals. I know the world wanted to see it. I wanted it, we wanted it. He held up his end and I didn’t hold up my end, and I hate that. I hate that that didn’t happen.”
So, a majority of people associated with the NBA undoubtedly wanted Bryant to lock horns with James in the Finals. However, this didn’t mean that the league had planned for it, failing to yet again justify Howard’s stance.
In hindsight, it probably was a great thing that the stories panned out this way. After denying LeBron his first-ever Ring, Dwight Howard would later end up being a part of LeBron’s Lakers in 2020, a run that would win Howard his first-ever Ring. If the “script” truly does exist, there was no better way for it to end.
