Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard has been hit hard by the effects of the novel coronavirus.
In an interview with Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, the big man shared why it hurt to see everything stop as a result of the pandemic.
“The season started and I was like, man, this is a really good feeling,” Howard said. “We’re winning. We had different obstacles come up like the stuff that was happening in China, and then obviously the Kobe situation, and then with the coronavirus. It’s kind of like man, it seemed like this is it. All of the things that I had talked about and worked on in myself, I was seeing it come to fruition. It kind of hurt to see everything stop.”
Howard, 34, has had a difficult season off the court.
The Lakers were caught in the middle of a political fiasco with China before the start of the 2019-20 regular season. While the team was able to move beyond that early roadblock, Lakers icon Kobe Bryant tragically passed away in January.
For Howard, the news hit home harder since the two stars had a divisive relationship. Furthermore, the media attention around the team was amplified since Bryant’s legacy is cemented with the Lakers.
Yet, the squad found a way to silence the noise and endure the pain as it climbed to the top of the Western Conference standings. As a matter of fact, the Lakers topped the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers the weekend prior to the announcement of the suspension.
The 6-foot-10 pro has played a critical role in the Lakers success this year. He is posting 7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game this season.
However, this period away from basketball hasn’t been easy for Howard. The journeyman recently revealed that the mother of his six-year-old son died from an epileptic seizure over a month ago.
There is no official timetable for when the 2019-20 season will resume.
