“I wanna beat his ass, but now we teammates, so it's like, shit, I can't do that no more” – Dwight Howard describes conflicting feeling of playing with former rival Kobe Bryant

Dwight Howard became one of the most fascinating big men to play basketball during his career. He was the closest thing the NBA had seen to a powerful center resembling the legendary Shaquille O'Neal.

The No. 1 selection in 2004 spent the majority of his early years with the Orlando Magic. It was there that Howard became a superstar, including a season in which he posted an eye-opening 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Eventually, Howard was traded to the LA Lakers.

Howard teamed up with a player who had been a rival early in his career. That player was none other than LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. On the "All The Smoke" podcast, Howard talked about going from playing against a rival to suddenly having to be his teammate.

"Man, how do I deal with somebody that I grew up watching as a child?But now we teammates, we just played each other in the finals, alright? Literally. So, like, we got this rivalry. Like, I wanna beat his ass, but now we teammates, so it's like, shit, I can't do that no more.

"But it's Kobe Bryant. You know what I'm saying? He dunked on me. I wanna get his ass back."

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Dwight Howard talks about playing with Kobe Bryant as a teammate

LA Lakers teammates Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard

It's fascinating to hear the thoughts of players around the league about their illustrious careers. This situation is no different when it comes to Dwight Howard and the first time he joined the LA Lakers.

After Howard was acquired by the Lakers, many thought that Los Angeles had the tools to be a dominant team. Eventually, Howard played just one season with the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. It was his first of multiple stops, but Howard averaged 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds during the 2012-13 season.

Howard was a spectacular talent and continues to wait to see if he might find a home as a free agent this season. He's even mentioned considering the idea of retiring, based off the fact that he doesn't want to play a limited role on a team.

Howard has had two other turns with the Lakers. He came to the team in 2019-20 and helped them to the NBA championship that season. Then, after a season with the Philadelphia 76ers, he returned last season to play in 60 games, starting 27.