Dwight Howard using ‘b-word’ at LeBron James cost him spot on $8 billion franchise

Several times over the course of his career, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has shown a distaste for the B-word.

Dwight Howard using ‘b-word’ at LeBron James cost him spot on $8 billion franchise

LeBron James and former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Dwight Howard

When LeBron James moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, he asked the front office to create a championship team. In came Anthony Davis along with veterans Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and others as they went on to win the 2020 NBA Bubble championship.

That championship was possible as the team had a balanced roster. They had rim protecting bigs in Howard and Davis along with James and a plethora of skilled guards. That helped James net his fourth NBA title and Howard his first.

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They had a team that could compete again next season. But surprisingly, some of those crucial pieces left, including Howard. The center, once revered as the perfect reincarnation of Shaquille O’Neal, accepted the job of a role player with the Lakers to win a title.

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But after winning it, he went to the Philadelphia 76ers. Earlier, he took to his podcast Above the Rim with DH12 where his guest was another former LeBron James teammate Mario Chalmers. While talking about their former superstar teammate, and why he was not feared, Howard said.

I said that man and I got kicked off the Lakers. You can’t say that. I said that one time and I was off the team

Dwight Howard said

This was in response to when Chalmers revealed his use of the B-word triggered LeBron James while at the Miami Heat. Howard believes the use of that word resulted in him not getting a call back from the Lakers.

Dwight Howard had a different reason for leaving LeBron James and Lakers

This comment about him having to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after using the B-word to LeBron James is contradictory to his own claim. After leaving the team, he first revealed that the team did not offer him a contract.

In October last year, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was a guest on his podcast. While talking about the 2020 championship team, he mentioned that he was disappointed that the team did not extend a contract. He wanted to return and believed the team was good enough to repeat.

But then, Buss clarified that they did indeed offer a contract. But Dwight Howard’s agent at the time did not inform him about that offer. He was looking after his own commission demands and diverted the center’s focus onto a deal the Philadelphia 76ers offered.

The same agent went on to steal $7 million from the eight-time All Star. He even shattered Howard’s dreams of owning a WNBA franchise. Now, he is making this claim, which is contradictory to what he has claimed so far.