Dwight Howard decided to return to the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year deal this past week. It was a move that was supposed to occur last season, but ultimately got thwarted by a bizarre last-minute demand by the big man.
After a season where Howard came up short with the Philadelphia 76ers and L.A. failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs, both sides seemed to agree to put their differences aside.
In preparation of returning to Los Angeles, Howard published a lengthy Instagram post thanking the Sixers and their fans for a great year.
Along the way, he appeared to lob a little shot in the direction of the much-maligned Ben Simmons.
It largely speaks for itself.
“Philly. Philly. Philly. If a picture could describe my experience in Philly this the one,” he wrote.
“Pure love and joy. I’m sad our time together was short. But I must say I enjoyed every single moment. I am gonna definitely miss Philly and the city and all the fans. Y’all showed me so much love. And it did not go unnoticed. I love you. Thank you to the city of BROTHERLY LOVE. PHILADELPHIA. . Imma miss my frosty chants with the crowd.. To my brothers. This year we came up short. But we had an amazing season. Thank you to the entire 76er staff. We will always be family. And Ben. Bend ya kneeeesss.”
The “And Ben. Bend ya kneeeesss,” part obviously raised some eyebrows.
Simmons’ shooting woes are a matter of public record at this point. He shot 33% from the free-throw line against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semis, which was somehow down from the 34.2% he had been shooting in the playoffs up to that point. He ended up posting the worst free-throw percentage in NBA playoff history for a player with at least 70 attempts.
Simmons’ poor shooting resulted in the Sixers disowning him, Joel Embiid publicly trashing him and him being placed on the trade block.
Howard’s apparent dig at Simmons is definitely funny, but given how much heartache his bad shooting has caused thus far, one can’t help but wonder if maybe it’s a little too soon for those sort of jokes.
More must-reads: