Dwight: Beef with Kobe was made up by media
Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant as teammates on the 2012-2013 Los Angeles Lakers was a tale of polar opposite personalities that just couldn't seem to mesh on or off the court.
Does that mean Howard hated The Black Mamba, or vice versa? Not according to the new Charlotte Hornets center, anyway.
During a Q-and-A session on his Twitter account Sunday, Howard was asked why he and Bryant beefed in Los Angeles, with Howard tweeting that their supposed feud was simply conjured up by the media.
we didn't beef. Since we were losing they needed a story that would sell
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) July 16, 2017
When the near 7-footer took his talents to the Houston Rockets in free agency the following summer, he cited "a good situation" in the Lone Star state as the reason he made the move, not because he was afraid of Bryant.
The mamba vs d12 !! It's on lol pic.twitter.com/cZQO5Avf
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 7, 2013
In a 2015 interview with USA Today's Sam Amick, Bryant mentioned that he tried teaching Howard how to be a champion so that he could one day become the face of the Lakers. Unfortunately, Howard's perception of what that process entailed was far different than what it actually took, with Bryant's combative nature perhaps being too overbearing for the big man.
The Bryant-Howard-Pau Gasol-Steve Nash core won just 45 games, and was swept out of the opening round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs.