Dwight Howard returned to the Los Angeles Lakers after one year with the Philadelphia 76ers but found a lot of new faces in the locker room compared to the team he won the NBA title with in 2019-20. And there was one new teammate that Howard was especially glad to see there.
During a recent chat with the reporters, Howard said that he is particularly excited to share the floor with superstar Russell Westbrook. The latter joined the Lakers in a blockbuster trade from the Washington Wizards in the summer. The veteran big men even called the opportunity to play with Westbrook “a dream come true.”
“Russ, watched him play for a very long time…This guy averages triple-doubles, so it’s like, he loves to pass the ball,” Howard said. “And I watched him in the playoffs last year when we played him, the big men were eating. So when they see Russ was coming to L.A., I said, ‘Oh man, dream come true.'”
Howard and Westbrook previously played together for USA Basketball but were mostly going head to head throughout their NBA careers. Their most recent clash was the Eastern Conference first-round that ended with Howard and his 76ers getting the better of Westbrook and the Wizards.
It isn’t surprising to see Howard gushing about pairing with Westbrook considering he had his worst career-year in Philly in 2020-21. The 35-year-old veteran finished the regular season averaging career-low 7.0 points alongside 8.4 rebounds.
