Dwight Howard is not having an easy time going from “Taxi Driver” Robert DeNiro to “The Irishman” Robert DeNiro.
The veteran Los Angeles Lakers center spoke this week for a GQ feature and sounded off on the lack of coverage he feels gets from the media these days.
“I’ve watched how I’m rarely talked about when they mention [the Lakers],” he said. “It’s like I’m an afterthought. Like damn … I look at when ESPN highlights the Lakers. Obviously, they’re gonna show LeBron [James] and Anthony Davis, or Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook. And me and Rajon Rondo are left out, like we haven’t done great things in our career. Like we haven’t been amazing. We’re always left out of certain things.
“I try not to look too deep into it, but that s— be the case,” Howard added. “We’ve done exceptional things in this league and still are. So, while we’re playing we should get some praise for the hard work that we put in. I don’t want nobody to kiss my butt or nothin’ like that. But appreciation should go a long way, especially when people are alive.”
Though he has a highly-decorated resume and was once considered one of the best players on the planet, the 35-year-old Howard is largely seen as a has-been these days. It is especially so now that Howard is a role player coming off the bench on a Lakers team with so many other stars and/or future Hall of Famers commanding the spotlight.
Howard hinted at similar frustrations when he was left off the NBA 75 team last month. But as illustrated by players like Blake Griffin and Kevin Love or (in more extreme cases) Andrew Bynum and Roy Hibbert, there is a definite shelf life for big men when it comes to being en vogue in the NBA.
Photo: Jan 15, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) arrives at Toyota Center before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
