Dwight Howard gets brutally honest about Lakers relationship  

Dwight Howard agreed to return to the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year deal early in free agency. By doing so, both sides were able to right one of the more bizarre occurrences of 2019-20’s free agency period.

You will recall, last year, Howard publicly announced his return to the Lakers – only for L.A. to pull its offer to him. This resulted in Howard joining the Philadelphia 76ers on a one-year deal. There was plenty of speculation regarding what really happened in that instance, but it appears to all be water under the bridge now.

This week, Howard sat down for a very honest interview about his relationship with the Lakers and how much of it stems from him accepting his role.

Although his response to gay rumors is what many regard as the greatest indicator of Howard’s maturation over the years, his recent commentary on his new Lakers role is just as good a marker.

“I just think it’s about sacrifice,” Howard said to Austin Green of Silver Screen and Roll. “What are you willing to give up to get the trophy? . . . My first year [back] here, it was for me, you’ve got to realize, ‘Dwight, just do what they ask you to do, no matter how hard it may be at times.’

“Everybody wants to score. Everybody wants to be the person to make the front page of the newspaper. At the end of the day, holding up that trophy and celebrating with your family and the city and all the people that you love, it just means so much more.”

Howard has a lot of issues. Him getting called out by his son is no joke. On the basketball court, however, he has clearly grown immensely in recent years. And because of that, he figures to be a huge asset for the Lakers in 2021-22 – particularly in light of the possibility that it looks like they’re about to unexpectedly lose one of their other bigs.