Dwight Howard Was 'Hurt and Disappointed' by Kobe Bryant in LA

The past few years have, perhaps unfairly, conditioned us not to sympathize with Dwight Howard.

We think of him as the malcontent who sloppily forced his way off of the Orlando Magic, only to clash with Kobe Bryant in a failed trip to the Los Angeles Lakers. But one of the surprising achievements of his new Epix documentary, Dwight Howard: In the Moment, is its credible portrayal of D12 as a well-meaning, naive kid who too often fell victim to his own eagerness to please.

Howard's comments on the messy year he spent with Bryant and the Lakers drove that point home:

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Before I got to the Lakers, I would talk to [Bryant]. He would really help me out on the low about how to become everything that I said I wanted to be. And I looked up to him. ... I just felt so hurt and disappointed in the fact that the guy I was expecting to be somebody who was going to pass the torch, somebody that would say, 'Dwight, I'll take you under my wing and I'll show you how to get it done'...there was none of that.

"

Howard typically traffics in silliness, and you can't look past the unabashedly pro-Dwight slant to the entire film. But as Howard explains his feelings on the ugly two-year saga that sent him from Orlando to Los Angeles to Houston, you can sense the authenticity of the regret and pain he felt during that period.

Howard's intense desire to be liked comes through strongly in the documentary. He's a people-pleaser, always smiling and joking in a way that naturally infects those around him. Knowing that, it's easy to understand how rough treatment from someone Howard admittedly idolized would have deeply wounded him.

At the same time, Dwight is aware of the wounds his decisions caused for others—particularly his coach with the Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy.

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In addition to admitting he asked Magic management to fire SVG, Howard also took blame for the way things ended with his first NBA team: "I know people might judge me for some of the mistakes I've had, but I'm not perfect. You know, looking back on it, maybe I could have done it a different way with Stan. I had to face my mistakes. I had to own up to them and not run from them."

With Orlando and L.A. in his rear-view mirror, Howard—now fully recovered from the 2012 back injury that his doctor described as "potentially completely career-ending"—is looking ahead. Although his play this season has resembled something from his dominant past.

Healthy, happy and in a situation where he's again beloved, D12 seems at peace.

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"I needed to go through some things, some tests. Would I want to go through all this stuff again? No. But I also believe that you need to go through those tough times to figure out who you are," Howard said.

You can bet Houston is very happy with who Howard is now: a fearsome force on both ends who no longer has to apologize for being a little goofy. Dwight is himself again, and because of that, the Rockets look every inch the contender. As long as its big man stays healthy, Houston can count on elite defense to complement its already scary offensive attack.

"There's some good parts of Dwight that the world still hasn't seen yet," D12 says to conclude the film.

If that's true, the Rockets are going to be in excellent shape going forward.