Former NBA player Dwight Howard recently had a humorous encounter on a New York City street when he unexpectedly ran into Andrew Bynum, another ex-teammate from their time with the Los Angeles Lakers. The reunion occurred as Howard was walking in the city.
In a video shared online, Howard was initially mistaken by a young fan for current NBA player Bam Adebayo. Howard accepted the mistake good-naturedly. Shortly after, he spotted a familiar, large figure walking nearby. Howard initially commented on the person's size, comparing it to that of Patrick Ewing, before realizing it was Bynum.
"Is that him? That is Andrew Bynum," Howard exclaimed in the video. "Oh s–t!" He then embraced Bynum, expressing his pleasure at seeing him.
Bynum, who is from New Jersey, exchanged greetings with Howard before continuing on his way, reportedly with a smile.
Although both players were part of the Lakers organization, they were never teammates. Bynum was traded away from Los Angeles just before the 2012-2013 NBA season, in a four-team trade that sent Howard to the Lakers to play alongside Kobe Bryant.
At the time of the trade, Bynum was coming off an All-Star season where he averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. However, he never played a game for his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers, due to knee injuries that caused him to miss the entire season. Bynum played one more NBA season before retiring after the 2013-2014 season.
Howard's arrival in Los Angeles was anticipated to form a dominant duo with Bryant. However, their tenure together was reportedly complex, marked by a difficult relationship despite Howard's strong performance of 18.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game during the 2012-13 season. The Lakers finished that regular season with a 45-37 record but were swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Following that season, Howard departed from the Lakers and spent three seasons with the Houston Rockets. He later had two more stints with the Lakers, including the 2019-2020 season, during which he helped the team win its 17th NBA championship alongside LeBron James. Howard officially retired from basketball in March.