It's been a turbulent week for Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard added injury to insult on Tuesday night.
The Houston Rockets played the Los Angeles Lakers in their NBA season opener on Tuesday night at Staples Center when Howard gathered a defensive rebound with Bryant swiping at the ball held by his former teammate.
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Howard, who told ESPN earlier in the day that he was not afraid of Kobe Bryant, proved it by swinging elbows back at Bryant with one catching the Laker in the face.
The two exchanged words after Howard was called for the foul. It may have been retaliation for comments made by Bryant's coach, Byron Scott, said Monday that Howard lacked Bryant's will to win.
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"I didn't leave L.A. because I was afraid of Kobe Bryant," Howard said Tuesday, according to the Houston Chronicle, as ESPN reported. "I went to a good situation for myself. I can't change people's opinions, but I did what I had to do for myself."
Bryant was the subject of an ESPN article that stated that he was the reason the Lakers were losing out on free-agent prospects.
Howard was responding to Scott, who said a day earlier, "My outside perspective is Kobe is a real serious guy and wants to win championships. I don't know if Dwight is that serious about it. I know No. 24 is. I think that probably was the clash."
Howard said there was no sense to continue talking about his time with the Lakers because that took place two seasons ago.
"It's over with now. There's no need to continue to talk about it. It happened. We played together for a year," Howard said of his time in L.A. with Bryant, according to the Chronicle. "The whole team was injured, didn't really get an opportunity to do what we all set out to do.
"Things happen. Life happens. I think everybody needs to move forward from the situation and worry about their respective teams."
But when Bryant got close to Howard on Tuesday night, Howard moved on into Kobe's face.
Do you think Dwight Howard's elbowing of Kobe Bryant had anything to do with the Laker coach Byron Scott's contention that he wasn't as serious as Bryant about winning championships." Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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