Grantland

boxing out

Resize Font: A- A+

SLIGHT DWIGHT

A Brief Tale of Two Giants: LeBron James and Dwight Howard Moving in Opposite Directions

By Zach Lowe at
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

At the end of the 2010-11 season, LeBron James and Dwight Howard were the two best players in the NBA. James was the clear top dog, and it wasn't all that close, but Howard had established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate and a monstrous two-way force with an increasingly polished post game. Howard was still very good last season, though not quite as dominant on defense, and the embarrassing way he handled his on-again, off-again, on-again departure from Orlando infected the Magic locker room and ultimately doomed a very good team. Then Howard suffered a back injury and semi-engineered a monster four-team trade that sent him to Los Angeles, where he would team with three future Hall of Famers to theoretically form a juggernaut.

Top Stories

MOST POPULAR

  1. Bill Barnwell on the teams that still have holes in their rosters
  2. Kanye West's 'Yeezus' and fatherhood
  3. The life and stalled career of 'Menace II Society' star Tyrin Turner, 20 years later
  4. Jonah Keri ranks the MLB teams
  5. Rename the Washington Redskins