Dwight Howard (8). AP
Dwight Howard did not have a stellar season with his hometown Atlanta Hawks last year, but still managed to put up respectable averages of 13 points to go along with 12 boards and a block per game.
Still, it comes as a surprise for most that the 31-year-old center was shipped off to the Charlotte Hornets this summer, after just one season with the team.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently bared the possible reason behind Howard’s departure: the big man wasn’t really well liked inside the locker room.
During an airing of the Lowe Post podcast featuring fellow NBA journalist Kevin Arnovitz, the pair shared a story of how some of the Hawks players screamed in delight after knowing that the eight-time All-Star was traded.
“I don’t know what it is. No one has kind of gotten to the bottom of why. It can’t just be the corny jokes—and my god, does he tell the corniest jokes—but I’ve heard multiple stories of Hawks players learning about the trade and screaming with jubilation into their phones,” Lowe said.
Aside from Howard’s personality, one particular quality didn’t help his case with his teammates either.
“You ask why, and one account was that Dwight would give these speeches before the game about how everyone is playing hard, we want unity, we’re going to… and then go out and play like a blah game where he demands post touches and doesn’t rotate as hard as he could,” Lowe explained.
“And everyone is like, ‘why are you speaking in the locker room?’ But that’s all anecdotal. It’s just crazy how these stories come out after every stop in his career.”
Howard’s fall from grace since leaving the Orlando Magic in 2012 has long been documented, often butting heads with teammates and coaches during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.
Howard also struggled with playing time with the Hawks last year, often getting benched in the fourth quarter due to his inability to stretch the floor and shoot free throws at a high rate. Khristian Ibarrola /ra
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