When word of Kobe Bryant's retirement broke out in the open, most National Basketball Association (NBA) players feted the 37-year-old NBA All-Star and reminisced about the things he was able to do during his better years.
But there was one curious person who didn't exactly (or immediately) praise Bryant — Dwight Howard.
Everyone knows that forgettable season when both had to find a way to co-exist as members of the Los Angeles Lakers. Howard eventually decided to pack up and leave to join the Houston Rockets which he claims was the best for him moving forward.
But now, it seems that the real reason is showing and that is Howard didn't really get along with Bryant. Well in this case, he didn't learn anything from him which was, apparently, why he laughed it off and asked for the next question instead.
Dwight Howard on if he learned something from Kobe Bryant: laughs, followed by long pause: "I'm gonna go to the next question on that one."
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 30, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">He did recoil and try to stay focused, saying Bryant had a great career and calling him one of the greatest to play the game. But at that point, all folks who witnessed that had more or less gotten a general idea on where all of this was headed and that old wounds are still ripe.
Both had their share of run-in on the hardwood, that one which saw the two get entangled with Bryant telling him, "Try me," and Howard responding by telling Bryant he was "Soft". Check out the video below.
That scene, of course, took place after Howard had left the Lakers and understandably, both were a bit sore that things didn't turn out well when they became teammates in Los Angeles. Howard was, apparently, used to being the top dog when he was still with the Orland Magic and obviously not used to being in the background.
Regardless, the limelight now belongs to Bryant at least for this season. It is his final season and deep inside, Howard knows that the NBA will be losing one of the great players of the game.
Time heals all wounds and at some point, these two fellows would eventually patch things up and laugh all the antics they have thrown at each other.
