“Lot of Egos”: Dwight Howard Exposes Los Angeles Lakers’ Internal Struggles that Led to Downfall in 2013
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Is it beginning to look like too many cooks spoil the broth? Well, the NBA has proven that time and again. When too many star players come together, there are bound to be ego clashes. The same was the case with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2012-13 season. The starters were all five NBA All-Stars and the team ended with the worst record in years.
Dwight Howard, one of those five, was intensely criticized for leaving the franchise the next season itself. He signed with the Houston Rockets after a one-year stint with the Lakers. Now that he is back to the team that he said he’ll never join again, Howard talked about his days in the team in 2013.
“I really can’t speak for Kobe, I speak for myself — that season that I played here, it’s a lot of egos that was in the way of us being a team that we wanted to be. Starting with myself. I know that I approached that season wanting to be the best version of myself, but also the man, you know?” Dwight told Jared Dudley on Instagram Live.
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Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t make the best out of the star-studded lineup
The likes of Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Steve Nash, and Howard himself formed the star-studded lineup. Moreover, Gasol and Kobe were 4-time and 14-time NBA All-Stars by that time.
In addition to this, Dwight and Kobe developed differences on and off the court. Kobe had been the face of Lakers for years and Dwight being the incredible player he was, intended to do better than Kobe. He didn’t belong there is what he felt in that season. The feud between the two even led to a verbal banter which took an ugly side.
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In 2013, Lakers finished seventh in the Western Conference and barely made it to the playoffs. But then they got eliminated by the Spurs in the first round itself. The Lakers endured one of the worst league performances of the 00s. Well, the consequences were, Howard and Metta left the franchise immediately after that season. And gradually, so did Steve and Pau in the coming years.
This wasn’t the first time a star-studded team couldn’t make it work. When we saw the USA Dream Team crumble, it was the same reason. When too much talent comes together, ego issues settle in.
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