NBA: Dwight Howard Mentally Ready For Lakers Return, Shrugs Off Negativity

Dwight Howard knows that his return to the Los Angeles Lakers fold will not be a smooth one. He has had his squabbles with two Lakers legends in Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal plus the fact that this is the same team he turned his back on back in 2013.

The second coming of Howard to Hollywood is also not a guaranteed one. Picked to fill in the void left by an injured DeMarcus Cousins, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year needs to perform accordingly if he wants to last the whole 2019-20 season. But that does not appear to bother him since he plans to show he can still play ball and get along with his teammates said Howard in a report by the Associated Press.

“This is an awesome experience. I’m just looking forward to being the best teammate, the best person in the community I can be. … Six years ago doesn’t seem like a long time, but a lot of things have happened. I’m just excited,” said Howard.

Aware that he needs to be mentally tough in his return to Los Angeles, Howard added that he has done so through meditation, reading, and introspection. And from the looks of it, the 33-year-old showed much of that the past week when Bryant and O'Neal shared their expected criticism on Howard. But as mentioned in a previous post, the comments did not bother him and that he was in LA for one thing - help the team win.

“I have nothing but love and respect for those guys and what they’ve been able to accomplish. … My job is to come here and help this team win. It’s not to get into any fights or arguments with Shaq or Kobe or anybody. I won’t let anything distract me from winning a championship.”

Howard is not making any promises and opts to show what he can still do on the basketball court. His durability will be monitored closely, seeing how he has been plagued by injuries the past years. There is plenty of adversity tied up to Howard right now and preparing himself mentally is a step in the right direction. Like it or not, the former top pick of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic will be a polarizing figure this NBA season. The question, however, is whether it would be on the positive or negative side of things.