Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant have their history of not getting along well. However, all this was when the Black Mamba was still actively playing in the NBA. This had to do with that infamous departure of Howard, who left the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2013 to join the Houston Rockets.
Of course, some incidents followed with both jawing at times. But the move proved to cost Howard a bit, the start of his spiraling downward NBA career. After retiring in 2016, Bryant has been enjoying life, and his beef with Howard has been seemingly squashed.
Now, most know how the second coming of Howard was met with plenty of criticism. Lakers fans still remember the Dwight Howard of old, although the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year has done enough to win back their trust. That includes Kobe who appears to be in good terms now with Howard, NBC Sports reported.
This 2019-20 NBA season, Howard is no longer the starting centermost were used to seeing in his prime. In 44 games, the 6-foot-11 center is averaging 7.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game according to Basketball-Reference.com. They may be a far cry from his career numbers although he is on a winning NBA squad.
With the NBA All-Star Weekend set to be held on Feb. 15 at the United Center in Chicago, a most-awaited event is the slam dunk contest. Howard is one of the participants, and the eight-time NBA All-Star will be looking to win another slam dunk crown. He first won the event back in 2008.
At 34, most are expecting a different kind of display for Howard. But as most know, creativity and celebrity participation are bonus points. Likely aware that he needs all the help he can get, Howard is egging fans to help him convince Bryant in the event.
“I’m trying to get Kobe,” Howard said to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “So if I can get all the Laker fans to lobby to get Kobe to help me in the dunk contest, that’d be really good. That’d be awesome.”
As of this writing, the 41-year-old Lakers legend has not yet responded to the Howard invite. There is a high chance that Bryant will oblige, especially if the fans oblige to Howard's request to convince him to be there. Though it was not mentioned, one person who could help as well as Kobe's daughter Gigi Bryant. It was her who enticed Kobe to watch the NBA again so she could be a big influence in making it happen.
