Metta World Peace Says Kobe Bryant Pushed Dwight Howard Out

Kobe Bryant has made it clear that he’s not going anywhere for at least a few more years. Dwight Howard was clearly concerned about this, as their icy relationship never truly thawed last season. According to former teammate Metta World Peace, the prospect of playing alongside Kobe for much longer was something Dwight couldn’t bring himself to bear. Per the LA Daily News: “For someone who had professed ignorance all along about the situation, Metta World Peace sounded pretty insightful on why Dwight Howard left the Lakers and bolted for the Houston Rockets. ‘I always knew Dwight was going to Houston. Things weren’t clicking,’ World Peace said recently at Universal Studios where he filmed a segment with the Hallmark Channel’s ‘Home and Family slated to air today at 10 a.m. ‘Once Kobe said he could come back for three years, I knew Dwight was going to Houston.’ Why did World Peace think that? ‘It’s not clicking,’ World Peace said. ‘Nothing’s clicking.’ A week before free agency started, Bryant told Lakers.com he felt ‘pretty damn confident’ he could play at a high level for ‘at least another three years.’ Bryant’s $30.5 million contract expires following the 2013-14 season. Should he play two years or beyond his current contract, Bryant could’ve played the majority of Howard’s five-year deal worth $118 million. […] Did Bryant’s proclamation about extending his career convince Howard his hope to become the franchise’s player would become nothing more than a pipe dream? ‘It’s not about being the guy,’ World Peace said. ‘It’s about clicking. Dwight never wanted to be the guy. Dwight did have some flaws just like anybody. Everybody has flaws. But Dwight just wanted to be comfortable. He wasn’t comfortable [here]. But once that happened [with Bryant’s comments], I knew Dwight wasn’t coming back. I knew he wasn’t going to come back.'”