Dwight Howard Did Not Want To Play Alongside LA Lakers Superstar Kobe Bryant In The Next 2-3 Years, Says Jim Buss

Dwight Howard left the Los Angeles Lakers and signed with the Houston Rockets this season, a decision that fueled speculations that the superstar center was not happy during his one-season stay with the team.

Lakers executive vice president of player personnel Jim Buss, the son of former team owner Jerry Buss, confirmed such previous speculations, saying that Howard did not want to share the spotlight with superstar Kobe Bryant.

Buss said that Howard told them that he was not interested in playing alongside Bryant for the next few years, but they did not give into the demand of the All-Star center and stood behind Bryant, their longtime Lakers superstar.

"Dwight didn't want to play with Kobe for 2-3 more years. I'm going to stand behind Kobe because of his history with the franchise," Buss said as reported by Ric Bucher.

On the other hand, Jim's sister, Jeanie, felt that the Lakers organization failed Howard, which could be the main reason why he decided not to return to the Lakers next season.

"It's disappointing that Dwight isn't here. I feel like we failed him. This is the mother part of me. When you become a Laker, I feel I become your mama. Maybe I get too sentimental for the basketball side of things," Jeanie said.

Jeanie added that they could have spent more time cultivating Howard to the culture of the organization, while also commending the 27-year-old center for playing as many games as he did despite being bothered by back problems.

"When we got Dwight my phone lit up with people wanting to see him play. I told them, 'If you're only going to come to one game, come in January' because I wasn't sure Dwight was going to play until then because of his back. I was so impressed that from Day One, he threw himself out there. He took the risk to play as many games as he could," Jeanie Buss said.

Howard signed a four-year deal worth $88 million with the Rockets. The former first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft could have received a five-year, $118 million contract had he decided to remain with the Lakers.