Did you miss Dwight Howard’s introduction as the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers? Don’t worry, I GOT YOU! Some of the highlights included:
Dwight on following in the footsteps of other famous Laker centers; Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.
“I don’t want to try to compete with those guys. I want to bring my own flavor here to L.A.,” Howard said. “I saw a picture last night, and it was like a Mount Rushmore somebody had. ‘Will he join the list of heads up here with the Laker greats?’ I’m like, hey, I want to be great in my own right. I want to write my own history. And today is my first day of that history.”
When asked exactly what went wrong in Orlando – like we didn’t watch the whole thing play out in the media – Dwight kept the focus on his new new team:
“It’s all about the Lakers. This is Lakers day,” Howard said. “This is not about any other team. We’re starting fresh here in L.A., and that’s the only thing that matters.
Dwight even forgave the media for being so hard on him. Especially ESPN’s First Take cast mates, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless. He also said the negative press got to him and he understands his reputation has taken a hit:
“A lot of the stuff that has been reported has damaged my reputation, but I not going to let that change me.”
Dwight even did one of his famous impersonations… of his phone call with Kobe.
The most important thing Dwight said in this conference in my opinion, that his back is not ready and he has no timeline. He said he wanted to give the Lakers his 100% so he won’t come back until he’s 100% healed. Dwight again said he can’t run at the moment.
“We’ll see what the doctor says. If I’m ready for opening night, I’ll be there. But I’m not going to rush it,” he said. “A back (injury) is very serious. So I’m going to take my time and make sure I get back 100 percent. I want to give everybody 100 percent — not 90, 80. I want to give you guys everything that I have.”
Of course you do this trade in a heartbeat but, how far into the season will we be before we see the team working as a unit?
Overall, Dwight sounded and looked as if he’s truly happy to be a Laker. He’s been living in LA for the past four months rehabbing from his surgery. I actually spotted him in Beverly Hills one afternoon, he’s already adjusting to the LA life.
Sidenote, great ensemble selection Dwight!
Will the stars align again to bring the franchise their 17th championship? With three players taking up $66 million of the Lakers payroll next season, you have to hope so!
Photos via Lakers
Video via TMZ
