Since he is not busy playing on the court and is recuperating from a torn rotator cuff surgery on his shoulder, Kobe Bryant has been very busy making the rounds on TV these past few days.
Apart from guesting live on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” he has also appeared on “NBA TV” and on “The Grantland Basketball Hour” show over the past couple of days, where he does not only talk about his future with the Lakers and the team itself, but also its past.
In addition to recently criticizing teammates on TV for what he believed was a ridiculous celebration for that victory against the Boston Celtics early this week, Kobe Bryant also talked about his relationship with Dwight Howard when the big man was with the Lakers for one season in a recent interview, notes Rappler.
The Black Mamba admitted that his relationship with Howard while the latter was with the Lakers was quite rocky because they have contrasting personalities.
Bryant said that having won five championships with the Lakers in the past, he knows what is needed to be done to win another one. He said that he tried to teach Howard about it but the big man does not buy it, preferring instead to go with his free and easy ways.
That prompted Kobe Bryant to say that Dwight Howard does not have what it takes to win a championship in the NBA. It could be a foreboding for the Houston Rockets which is now the team of Howard but it looks like the big man is better off these days playing for the Rockets than the woeful Lakers.
Different perceptions
Bryant disclosed that he tried to instil on Howard the perception of winning a championship and gave the big man, tough love both on and off the court.
But Dwight felt uncomfortable with such perception because he is basically an outgoing happy-go-lucky guy who likes to joke around with teammates in the locker room and make friends with everybody all the time, which make some people say that he is immature.
Bryant said that the reality of winning a championship is that people should be tough inside and out to make sure that they appropriately deal with the challenge. Winning a championship means everyone in the team must have that combative nature in them, the Black Mamba explained.
The Black Mamba said that unfortunately, Howard was not up to the challenge and was really uncomfortable with the old-school tough love that Bryant was giving him, often leading to their confrontation both on and off the court.
As a result, their one season together with the Lakers during the 2012-13 NBA season turned out to be a disappointment, with the team being eliminated by eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.