Dwight Howard on Leaving Lakers for Rockets: I Viewed James Harden As a Younger Kobe

It appears James Harden was a big reason why Dwight Howard left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Houston Rockets ahead of the 2013-14 campaign.

While speaking on Matt Hoffa's My Expert Opinion, Howard outlined his decision to depart the Purple and Gold after just one season to team up with a young Harden:

"When I saw James Harden, I looked at him like a younger version of Kobe [Bryant]. I don't know why I was thinking that. No disrespect to James. I'm not saying he's bad or anything. But I was thinking at the time that me and James could be like a new version of Kobe and [Shaquille O'Neal] because he's the young two-guard that's coming up in the league and I'm the older center that's been dominating. So I'm like man, maybe we got a chance. ... I think that the Lakers decision was solely based on I felt like me and James was going to be better at that time. "

"Looking back on it, if I would've sat down and really thought about my decisions without being in my emotions, I probably would've stayed in L.A. at that time."

Howard joined the Lakers ahead of the 2012-13 season in a trade from the Orlando Magic, teaming up with Bryant, who was in the latter stages of his career. However, the two never meshed well, and Howard exited Los Angeles for Houston ahead of the 2013-14 season.

Howard and Harden played together from 2013-16, and the deepest the duo went in the postseason was a Western Conference Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors during the 2014-15 season.

If Howard had remained with the Lakers, it's worth wondering if the team would have found more success from 2013-19, a period where the team didn't reach the playoffs once.