After Lakers comeback attempt, Dwight Howard shows interest in LeBron James' Duke dream
Former NBA champion Dwight Howard has expressed his desire to return to the LA Lakers. While this has not happened yet, Howard has found another team that he wants to become a part of. The former NBA center has once again expressed the desire to team up with LeBron James.
However, this scenario is hypothetical. James made a post on X (formerly Twitter) saying that he had a dream, where he was playing for former Duke Blue Devils coach Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski. According to James, he and Coach K said that it was an honor to work with each other.
Howard jumped in on this scenario and even included LeBron's coach, JJ Redick:
"Imagine JJ, you , and me playing at Duke," Howard said.
The Lakers needed depth in their frontcourt in 2019-20 and Dwight Howard was their choice. With Howard on the team, LA went on to win the 2020 championship. Howard later expressed his desire to return to the Lakers in an interview with the New York Post.
Interestingly, LeBron and Howard decided to forego college and turned pro immediately after high school and were drafted first in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Of the people that Howard mentioned in his tweet, only JJ Redick had college experience, having played for Duke Blue Devils under Coach K.
While LeBron never got the chance to play for Coach K in college or in the NBA, the two of them worked together in Team USA. LeBron was a part of the Team USA Olympic squad in 2008 and 2012 that was helmed by Coach K. They won gold both times.
Dwight Howard has played three different seasons for the LA Lakers
Dwight Howard's NBA journey led him to don the Lakers' purple and gold three separate times. After spending eight years with the Orlando Magic from 2004-2012, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was traded to Los Angeles. He joined forces with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol for the 2012-13 season. Additionally, Steve Nash was also acquired by the team.
That star-studded squad held a lot of promise but ultimately failed to deliver. They finished seventh in the West, only winning 47 games. In the opening round of the playoffs, they were swept by second-seed San Antonio Spurs in four games.
Bryant and Howard allegedly developed a feud that year, and in the summer of 2013, after only one year, the latter moved on. Howard joined the Houston Rockets, where he formed a duo with James Harden. The partnership lasted for three seasons before he proceeded to have one-year stints in Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington.
In 2019-20, he returned to Tinseltown, joining forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. After winning his only championship in 2020 with Lakers, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2020-21 season.
After another one-year stint in Philly, Howard once again joined LA for the 2021-22 campaign. That was also his last year in the league.