On the afternoon of Aug. 23, it was reported by The Athletic that center Dwight Howard had signed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract to return to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Almost instantly, Twitter was ablaze with people mocking Howard, the Lakers’ organization and its fans.
Lakers fans rn 😂 pic.twitter.com/LMMunDUubl
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 23, 2019
lakers fans talking themselves into dwight howard pic.twitter.com/2XyjnEcioi
— Harry Lyles Jr. (@harrylylesjr) August 23, 2019
Dwight Howard to Lakers nation: pic.twitter.com/wdGI3PrifY
— GO BIRDS 🦅 (@mEdia_creates) August 23, 2019
Kobe coming to the Lakers facility after they bring back Dwight Howard pic.twitter.com/e74KhkZrqK
— Grant Goldberg (@GrantGoldberg) August 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/Travonne/status/1165020589569888256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1165020589569888256&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fdwight-back-with-the-lakers
It worked! pic.twitter.com/FwqPPD36xd
— amir (@blumenfeld) August 23, 2019
More like this pic.twitter.com/zcH0o8styc
— BrookLopezFanClub🏆 (@ClubBrook) August 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/nbamemesinsta/status/1165012787837276160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1165012787837276160&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fdwight-back-with-the-lakers
Dwight really signed with the Lakers on Kobe’s Birthday pic.twitter.com/L6om3p6bLr
— Barflaan Tedoe 🇱🇷 (@The_Barftender) August 23, 2019
*Dwight Howard joins the Lakers*
Carmelo Anthony: pic.twitter.com/Zw4sCwhqPZ
— Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) August 23, 2019
sign melo as Dwight’s backup
— jason concepcion (@netw3rk) August 23, 2019
Dwight back pic.twitter.com/ezZ8TZfQdI
— RingerNBA (@ringernba) August 23, 2019
Dwight Howard's journey has taken him back to the Lakers… pic.twitter.com/eSMTf51BTR
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 23, 2019
“Lakers sign Dwight Howard”
Kawhi and Clippers: https://t.co/tAMIjWZm1X
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) August 23, 2019
Live look at Dwight Howard to Laker fans : pic.twitter.com/EFEb5qHpPX
— Albert (@Lakeshow_323) August 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/aaronsiegal/status/1165015509634469888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1165015509634469888&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fdwight-back-with-the-lakers
Howard played with the team in the 2012-13 after being acquired in a monster trade from the Orlando Magic. Despite coming off of back surgery, he averaged 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while being named to the All-NBA Third Team.
However, it was a dismal season for the Purple and Gold, as a multitude of injuries limited them to just 45 wins and a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
Howard left via free agency shortly afterward and has since played for four different teams. After not getting along with Kobe Bryant in L.A., Howard has gained a reputation for having trouble building goodwill with teammates.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday that the Lakers’ coaching staff and even players such as Anthony Davis met with Howard and let him know in no uncertain terms that they would not tolerate him causing any disruptions to the team.
