"M*f*, I’m here to help you get championships"- Kobe Bryant was done with Dwight Howard after just one call when he first joined the Lakers

Before the 2012-13 season, the LA Lakers were one of the most hyped teams. In that offseason, LA acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to form a superteam with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

The team finished seventh (45-37) in the Western Conference and struggled with locker room toxicity and injuries. Bryant apparently knew from Day 1 that Howard was going to bring the team down.

Jalen Rose appeared on the “All the Smoke Podcast” with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. He told a story about the day Bryant first spoke with Howard before he arrived in LA. The legendary Black Mamba apparently wanted nothing to do with Howard after just one phone call.

“Mofo, I’m here to help you get championships,” Bryant reportedly said to Howard over the phone.

Rose told more of the story. He said he was there next to Bryant, overhearing the first conversation between the two Lakers stars after LA acquired Howard. Rose said:

“The day Kobe heard Dwight Howard was gonna get traded to them. So, Kobe takes the call from Dwight and I might have heard some of the conversations. And I might have heard Dwight asking about LA and some off court things.

"And Kobe got off the phone, and said, ‘This sh*t ain’t gon’ work.’ That’s exactly what he said. This is before even he laced up with him one time. He said, ‘His head ain’t right.'"

How did Bryant and Howard get along?

Bryant of course was known for his intense competitive nature. Howard asking about the off-the-court things in LA apparently did not go too well with Bryant who only wanted to win more rings.

Howard asking about music producers and the free-time things to do in LA was the wrong first impression for Bryant. The two’s relationship never seemed to gel.

Howard’s antics were constantly reported as a locker room problem for the team. He seemed to lack the maturity to match the veteran-laden squad that was seeking another title for the Lakers.

Howard was making $19.5 million that season with LA. He then went to the Houston Rockets after just one season in LA. Howard returned to the Lakers in 2020 as part of the title-winning team centered around LeBron James.

Howard has been deemed a locker room misfit for most of his career. He caused problems and had public disagreements with coach Stan Van Gundy while with the Orlando Magic before being traded to LA. Teams were also hesitant to sign him later in his career due to his personality being a potential ill-fit for a team’s chemistry.