Dwight Howard reveals he didn’t want the Magic to trade him to the Lakers in 2012

In 2012, star big man Dwight Howard was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

However, it appears Howard didn’t want to initially get shipped to Los Angeles.

“My intention when I first left Orlando was not to go to L.A., and the Magic knew that, but despite my wishes to go somewhere else, they sent me to L.A., which was one of the places at that time that I did not want to go,” Howard said in an interview with The Athletic’s Fred Katz. “I felt like it would have made people feel as though I was trying to follow in somebody else’s footsteps.”

Howard, 35, has been on the Lakers on three separate occasions over the course of his career.

The center was sent to the Lakers from the Magic in a four-team trade in 2012. The Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers were the other two teams involved in the trade.

While Howard came to Los Angeles as one of the best players in the league, he didn’t have a memorable first stint in Los Angeles. In fact, he butted heads with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

The partnership only lasted one season. The Lakers were pummeled in the first round of the 2013 playoffs. Howard left the Lakers for the Houston Rockets during the ensuing offseason.

The eight-time All-Star joined the Lakers later in his career for the 2019-20 campaign. Of course, the Lakers won a championship in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Fla. in 2020.

While Howard departed the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2020-21 season, he rejoined the franchise ahead of this season.

The veteran has career averages of 16.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.