Imagine being criticized so harshly that it instills a sense of fear in other players to not repeat the move. This is what the backlash against LeBron James did to former Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard. Notably, LeBron faced criticism because fans and even some experts felt he abandoned his team Cleveland Cavaliers for Championship temptation with a better roster in Miami Heat. And Howard did not want even an ounce of such backlash when he first thought of the trade. 

Appearing on ‘The OGs‘ podcast, Howard recollected the time he wanted to move to LA Lakers from Magic. “I spent 8-9 years in Orlando. I just wanted to start fresh. And I went to Otis Smith in private, and I was like, hey, Otis, I know this is a tough thing, but I would like to get traded, and could you just do this privately?” Howard recalled on the podcast.  

He further mentions that the reason for this request was that he did not want to face what happened with LeBron James. “I don’t want that to happen to me. I don’t want any, nobody burning my jersey, anything like that,” Howard said.

However, the news still somehow broke into the media and it was all over the place in no time. The 38-year-old stated he did not want any of this, neither for the fans nor for the organization. “I just wanted a fresh start,” Howard emphasized on ‘The OGs’ podcast. And considering what LeBron got in return from all the publicity makes this feeling understandable.

A look back at what LeBron James faced after the “Decision” to move to Miami Heat 

It is worth mentioning that the King landed with the Heat from the Cavaliers in 2010. However, he faced severe criticism for forming a super team of sorts along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Notably, this was in a way a violation of an unwritten NBA rule back then. NBA fans looked down upon the players who left their team to side with stronger players on a different team. In fact, fans labeled such players weak for seeking a support system for their win. 

And the majority section of the basketball community held LeBron James to similar standards of judgement. What made things even worse for the 4x NBA champ was him publicizing his move through a television special titled ‘The Decision‘. Multiple fans and experts criticized this, claiming LeBron to be egoistic and disrespectful towards Cleveland. 

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In fact, some fans in Ohio even burned LeBron James’ jersey as a sign of protest and anger against him. And to this day, the LA Lakers star often faces criticism for that move among fan discussions and experts’ sarcastic takes. This explains Dwight Howard’s fear of getting any limelight about his desire to move to Lakers, even after 8 years in Magic.