Los Angeles Lakers’ center Dwight Howard is enjoying a nice comeback season with the Lakers, in which he mended fences with the organization and the fans, and will now look to reconnect with a former Lakers teammate during All-Star weekend in Chicago in February.
Howard is hoping that the legendary Kobe Bryant can lend him a hand as he competes in the dunk contest. Bryant and Howard weren’t exactly friends during his first tenure with the Lakers, while Bryant was an active player.
“I’m trying to get Kobe,” Howard said on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “So if I can get all the Laker fans to lobby to get Kobe to help me in the dunk contest, that’d be really good. That’d be awesome.”
“Have I asked him? Not yet,” Howard said. “Just got to get the fans behind me first. Setting the table. Need you guys. ‘Hey, Kobe, can you get in the dunk contest with Dwight?’ That’d be great.”
Howard last competed in the dunk contest back in 2009, a year after winning the contest when he famously donned a Super Man costume during his performance.
Howard announced that he was returning to the All-Star staple during an appearance Tuesday at the NBA Store.
Howard has impressed this year, after spending months taking a different approach, entirely, both on and off the court.
“I just felt like I’m in the best shape I’ve been in my whole career,” Howard said. “So why not go out there and give it, give it 135 percent, and see what happens?”
“Now that I’m competing against some way younger guys, I have to find a way to really make the dunk contest fun for the fans and really entertaining,” Howard said. “So came up [with] some pretty good ideas, so things are going to be a lot of fun.”
“What am I excited about? Just being in the atmosphere,” he said. “It’s been a long time. I got some pretty good dunks, things ready to go. Just can’t wait to get out there, enjoy the atmosphere and try to put on a great show for all our fans. Try to make this 2020 dunk contest the best ever.”