Dwight Howard was officially introduced as a member of the Lakers on Friday. He talked about his love of LA and how excited he was to be with his new team. He was all smiles and joking around like the way he used to be before he became stressed out over his attempts to leave the Magic.
The press conference represented a new start for Howard. Now that he’s with the Lakers, many people are focused on how good the team will be rather than how irritating his strained situation with Orlando was. He also talked about the pressure on him to accomplish as much as past Lakers legends, which seemed to be part of the reason he didn’t want to join the team.
“I want to be great in my own right, I want to write my own history, and I get a clean slate and an opportunity to start over,” said Howard.
He also said he dreamed about being a Laker.
“I’ve had a lot of dreams about putting on this Lakers jersey and being here in LA and playing with Kobe Bryant,” Howard said. “Now I’m here.
“Whatever happened before today is history to me. It’s the past. I’m looking forward to this new beginning.”
Howard may have been nothing but smiles at the press conference, but that’s sure to change down the line. Just wait for the Lakers to drop more than two in a row, or lose in the playoffs, because that’s when Howard will see how quickly the passionate Lakers fans and the media turn on him. And you know he can’t handle being disliked.
If that happens, Howard could be driven away quickly considering doesn’t have the ability to handle criticism. But until then, he’s part of a super team that has the potential to win a title next season. They just need to get past Oklahoma City and Miami first.
Photo credits: Beto Duran, SportsCenter
