Eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard on Tuesday accused LeBron James of getting him booted from the Lakers after the team won the championship in 2020.
That title marked LeBron’s last in the league. And many observers at the time were confused as to why Howard was shipped out of town after playing a fairly significant role in the championship run.
If Howard’s comments are accurate, then James’ reputation as a super-unlikeable player is only going to grow.
Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers on the Above the Rim with DH12 podcast spoke about making a five-word statement about the ‘King’ that got him in hot water.
Those five words? “Stop acting like a b—.”
LeBron James Kicked Dwight Howard Off The Lakers?
Now, I’m just going to lay this out there – it’s probably not the first time LeBron has heard those words in that order.
With his history of flopping, getting fans kicked out because they trigger him, or now, attacking basketball analysts for daring to call out his son, Bronny, James has indeed demonstrated a certain level of weakness.
But Howard claims that he said the same thing, which cost him a chance to repeat as an NBA champion.
“I said that, man, and I got kicked off the Lakers, so I know how you feel!” he said to Chalmers.
Dwight Howard explained the exchange with LeBron James in a little more detail.
“You can’t say that,” Howard recalled. “I said that one time, and I was off the team. … It was after we won the championship, man. It happened on defense.”
“I was like, ‘Yo, you gotta get back.’ And [LeBron] got mad because I said something. And I was like, ‘Yo, stop acting like a b—, man.'”
Dwight Howard reveals that he was KICKED OFF the Lakers after he told Lebron James to get back on Defense and “Stop acting like a B*TCH” 💀😭
— Slime🐍 (@ItsKingSlime) March 10, 2025
pic.twitter.com/cAj8fqdoTb
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They Could Have Used Him
Dwight Howard went to the Philadelphia 76ers the following season. In an odd twist, he returned to the Lakers in 2022 and played with LeBron James. It was Howard’s final season in the NBA.
2020 was the championship run. As a backup center to Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee, Howard embraced a reduced role, averaging 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in 18.9 minutes off the bench during the regular season.
His physical presence and defensive tenacity proved valuable in the playoffs, particularly in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets, where he helped contain Nikola Jokić.
In the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, Howard’s energy and rebounding supported the Lakers’ dominant frontcourt, contributing to their 4-2 series win and the franchise’s 17th championship.
After he left, the Lakers finished with a 42-30 record, 12 fewer victories than the season prior, and were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.
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