There was once a time when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had nice things to say about Dwight Howard, but that may have simply been a result of how happy he was to see Andrew Bynum go. Abdul-Jabbar was never fond of Bynum and his work ethic, and he was not shy about admitting it publicly. Similarly, he did not hide his feelings when addressing Howard’s departure from LA.
On Monday, Abdul-Jabbar took to Facebook to rip Howard and assure Lakers fans that the team will be fine without him.
“Dwight Howard is a perfect example of the fact that ‘potential has a shelf life,’” he wrote, via ESPNLosAngeles.com. “Laker fans should be patient and allow Mitch & company to prepare themselves to do some serious work in the free agent market.”
Howard has said he is excited to work with Hakeem Olajuwon now that he has signed with the Houston Rockets, but Abdul-Jabbar told Arash Markazi that Dwight told him the same thing and never reached out to him again. When Kareem was asked about teaching Howard the sky hook, he threw another jab at the 27-year-old center.
“At least he’d have an offensive move,” Kareem said. “He gets the ball on offense, oh my God, he doesn’t know what to do. It’s usually a turnover, people come and take the ball from him or tie his arms up. Offensively, he doesn’t get it. Hasn’t made any progress.”
Abdul-Jabbar is the second former Lakers big man to blast Howard since he announced his decision to leave LA, and I’m sure Dwight expected it. If he actually cared, he would have stayed with the Lakers.
