Dwight Howard Says He Meant No Disrespect to Former Teammates


It’s kind of hard to get people to believe that you meant no disrespect when you say that “nobody wanted” them. No surprise then, that three of Dwight Howard’s former Orlando Magic teammates—Jameer Nelson, followed by JJ Redick and Rashard Lewis—took offense to the big fella’s comments. According to Dwight, however, that shouldn’t be the case. Per the LA Daily News: “Howard insists that ‘a lot of people’ overreated to his comments. ‘I never meant disrespect to none of my former teammates. My statement was to say the team we played with in Orlando were the underdogs,’ Howard said. ‘Nobody really talked about our team and it was underrated. Everybody overlooked us the time I was there in Orlando. I hated that. We hated that. We all thrived off that. My comments were never said to be disrespectful to those guys. They were my teammates for years. They’ve helped me become the player I am today.’ Howard said he’s tried in recent days to reach out to Lewis and Nelson to clarify his sentiments. He hopes he’s able to make amends before the Lakers play Tuesday in Orlando, marking Howard’s first return there since leaving in a four-team, 12-player trade. ‘I know we’re going back to Orlando and they’re trying to stir up as much stuff as they can as I head back there,’ Howard said. ‘I have nothing but love for that city and I have nothing but love for the fans in Orlando and nothing but love for the teammates I played with. My whole statement was based on everybody saying we were underrated. Nobody talked to us when we went to the Finals. It was about Cleveland and no one else. It pisssed us off and we used that as motivation. It was not anything to disprespect those guys.'”