Just like the comparison between the football greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the NBA world has remained divided between NBA legends Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as the former was known for his skills and dedication while the latter was recognized for his physicality, versatility, durability, and longevity.
The eight-time NBA All-Star, Dwight Howard is one of the few players to have shared the dressing room with both the superstars at the Los Angeles Lakers. While Howard played with Kobe towards the end of the latter's career in the 2012-13 season, the 'Superman' has shared the stage with LeBron during the 2020 championship winning season.
On a recent appearance on “All The Smoke” podcast, Dwight Howard opened up on the two legends' approach towards their teammates by comparing them with superheroes like Batman and Captain America. Howard said, "They two different people. Kobe’s, I always felt like Kobe was like Batman. (do) You know what I’m saying? Just this, he by himself … Then, you know, Lebron’s like Captain America. That’s like Lebron. LeBron is always, he want(s) everyone to be around, you know what I’m saying?"
"He (LeBron) wants to have fun; he wants to dance before the games and put on his music. And Kobe’s just locked in, he don’t say nothing. He got the basketball, and he is dribbling the heavy ball before the game," he added.
Kobe Bryant multiplied everything that Michael Jordan did: Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard further compared the Black Mamba with the legendary Michael Jordan by saying that 'Kobe multiplied everything that Jordan did'. Howard said, "I think Kobe, like, is the most skilled out of all the players, as far as pure skill. Shooting. … Just thinking about it, like he could do all that. Like everything that Jordan did, I feel like he just multiplied it."
Howard explained, "Like he did everything he did and made it better. And, you know, even watching him practice, like, some things that he was doing, I was like, “Why’s he doing it?” Like one day, I saw him getting his fingers stretched. I’m like, “Why is he getting his fingers stretched?” … I guess it was when he shot his jump shot, so to be smooth every time. So, it’s just like little things like that. Like, where did he learn that from?"
Evidently, the relationship between Kobe and Howard was not highly regarded by the NBA fans as many people consider Kobe’s hatred towards Dwight as a reason for the Lakers' failure despite their star-studded 2012-13 roster including Steve Nash, Metta World Peace and Pau Gasol among others.