Former Los Angeles Lakers big man Dwight Howard revealed that he got “kicked off the Lakers” for saying something to LeBron James.
Howard shared his story in a conversation with former Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers, who also appeared to say a similar thing to James.
“[Michael] Jordan, it was a fear,” Chalmers said. “They call him Jesus. They call him Black Cat. It’s a different stigma that comes with Michael Jordan. That ain’t nothing to do with Bron.”
Chalmers then was asked about what he said to James during his career when the two players got into it.
“Stop acting like a b—-,” Chalmers said. “That’s it.”
Howard then chimed in that he said a similar thing to James.
“I said that, man, and I got kicked off the Lakers,” Howard said with a laugh. “So I know how you feel.”
Howard, who spent time with the Lakers early in his career playing alongside Kobe Bryant, returned to Los Angeles for the 2019-20 season, playing alongside Anthony Davis and James. Howard appeared in 69 games during that regular season and averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He also finished ninth in the voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
He then spent the 2020-21 season with the Philadelphia 76ers before returning to Los Angeles in the 2021-22 season.
Howard said that, “You can’t say that” to James, who clearly took exception to the comments both from him and Chalmers.
James is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, and it seems that he doesn’t like being disrespected by teammates.
A four-time champion, James is currently in his 22nd season in the NBA. The Lakers star is still playing at an extremely high level even though he turned 40 during the 2024-25 season. He’s averaging 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from beyond the arc.
The Lakers are one of the best teams in the Western Conference this season as a result, but James did just recently go down with a groin injury in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
Hopefully, the four-time NBA Finals MVP will be able to return and play at a high level down the stretch of the 2024-25 season and into the playoffs.