Friday night was a memorable comeback victory for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Phoenix Suns as they went from down 22 to win comfortably, and Dwight Howard was in attendance to provide them with some good luck.
Howard went from one of the most-hated players among Lakers fans after leaving in 2012 to one of the most-beloved after returning in 2019 and helping bring another championship to the organization.
So when Howard returned to Crypto.com Arena for Friday night’s game with his “Dancing with the Stars” partner, he received a big ovation during the Lakers’ win over the Suns:
Daniella said she never been to a basketball so I said C’MON ??♂️??? pic.twitter.com/htv9a7mRWJ
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) October 26, 2024
Howard was obviously rooting on the Lakers from his courtside seat, which led to some friendly banter with Suns star Kevin Durant, who made sure to let the future Hall of Fame big man know that he is not known for his time in L.A.
KD you talm bout “ im not a laker im a Magic” man you not a SUN you a thunder/warrior ???♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZJITIPPKSz
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) October 26, 2024
While Howard may be more known for his time in Orlando than L.A., it is great to see that he is still on great terms with the Lakers organization to be attending games and cheering them on from his courtside seats.
With the Lakers coming back from a 22-point deficit to beat Durant and the Suns, they are now 2-0 in a season for the first time since 2010.
Dwight Howard believes 2020 Lakers could have three-peated
After returning to the Lakers in 2019, Dwight Howard was a part of a special team that wound up winning the championship inside the Orlando bubble.
That team split up shortly after, however, and Howard believes they could have three-peated had general manager Rob Pelinka kept them together.
While it’s very early in the 2024-25 season, this Lakers group is showing shades of the same chemistry as that 2019-20 team, so it will be interesting to see if Pelinka makes any moves to shake it up or if he sticks with continuity this time around.
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