Ex-Lakers' coach gets real on why Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard era failed
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After former Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young told his Kobe Bryant story from his time with the team, former coach Phil Handy unveiled his during a recent episode of Podcast P presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. After Bryant and the Lakers lost in the second round in back-to-back years in 2012, the franchise spent four years trying to assemble a championship roster around Bryant. Veterans Dwight Howard and Steve Nash were a part of that era.
The Lakers tried bringing in established veterans to help Bryant, who won his last championship in 2010. However, Bryant and Howard's personalities often clashed, and finding continuity was extra tricky, according to Handy.
"Dwight's a Hall of Famer. I don't care what nobody says. Dwight is a Hall of Famer. So he was in his pond in Orlando. You always say the NBA, the markets are different," Handy said. "Orlando is a smaller pond, even though Dwight was a big fish. He comes from Orlando, he comes to Los Angeles, which is a big pond and there's already a big fish in that pond.
"Dwight's always been a guy who cared how people received him, how he was perceived, and how people brought him in, and I think LA was such a big place and the bright lights. It wasn't too bright for him, but when him and Kobe got together, their relationship it wasn't rocky, but they were two different players."
Howard and the Magic lost to the Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals. The star center hadn't been back since but couldn't find the chemistry with Bryant that Los Angeles had envisioned in pursuit of Kobe's sixth NBA title.
"Kobe was who he was, and if you played with him, you understood who he was as a teammate, and Kobe was super demanding," Handy added. "So, when you're the A personality, and you come to another team, and there's another A personality, and that A personality might be a little more vocal, or might have a little bit more of a cutthroat attitude or mentality, it could be tough."
Making matters worse, Steve Nash was dealing with a back injury that often kept him on the sidelines than on the floor. While it never worked out with the Lakers, Handy believes Dwight Howard, at 39, could still flourish in an NBA role today.
Kyrie Irving shares Kobe Bryant story on Thanksgiving stream
As NBA veterans continue to keep Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's legacy alive by unveiling touching and memorable stories, Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving shared his on Kai Cenat's Thanksgiving stream last month.
Irving told his Bryant story live in a room full of people.
"When we won the championship, he told me to do a few things that were crazy," Irving said. "He told me to really start isolating myself a little bit more to get a greater sense of who I am and how you have to approach every day."
CNN is airing a three-part documentary, Kobe Bryant: The Making of a Legend, starting January 25, 2025.
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