Former 2020 Lakers Champ Reveals Agent's Lie Convinced Him to Leave as Free Agent

The All-Star-turned-role player ditched Los Angeles after its moment of triumph.

Nov 12, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39), forward LeBron James (23) and guard Rajon Rondo (9) look for a rebound against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard spent three non-consecutive stints with the Los Angeles Lakers. His departure near his All-Star prime in 2013 was much-maligned at the time. He joined then-rising heliocentric All-Star guard James Harden on an analytics-obsessed Houston Rockets squad, which got as far as the 2015 Western Conference Finals during the three-time Defensive Player of the Year's tenure there from 2013-16. Without him, the Lakers never made the playoffs in that same span.

Howard later returned to what was then still the Staples Center as a veteran role player on a "prove-it," non-guaranteed minimum contract for the team's 2019-20 season. Serving as a rim-rolling and -protecting big man, Howard proved critical during the Lakers' eventual title run.

But somehow, he ditched Los Angeles yet again as a free agent that offseason. During a new episode on his "Above The Rim With D12" podcast, Howard told Lakers majority owner Jeanie Buss that his representation informed him that Los Angeles team president and general manager Rob Pelinka had rescinded a contract that would have seen him back in purple and gold for the 2020-21 season to help the club defend its title.

“I was sad,” Howard told Buss regarding the fact he wasn't retained in 2020-21. “I wanted to come back. And I don’t know what had happened. No, see we were — I think that we were just told so many different things. And I think now lookin’ back on it with the situation that I had with my agent [Charles Briscoe] and him actually gettin’ convicted and bein’ a part of the whole crime — he was a part of it, yeah, the same agent. So, I don’t even know what the truth was because what I was told was that you guys didn’t have a offer for me. I never even knew that — he told me, well actually he said that you guys had an offer, and then he said you guys took the offer back and said, ‘No.'”

As Howard shared on his official X account, his former agent Charles Briscoe conspired with now-disgraced Georgia businessman Calvin Darden Jr. to convince Howard to give him $7 million under the impression he intended to purchase a controlling stake of Howard's hometown WNBA squad the Atlanta Dream.

I was so shocked to hear the Lakers had an offer for me but my so called agent told me lies 😤 same agent that cost me $7mill man I’m glad me & Jeanie cleared that up
I know it’s too late but why not…

I’m in shape 🤷🏾‍♂️ my former teammate that I went to the finals with is the… pic.twitter.com/nDlcyu29um

— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) October 14, 2024

The 6-foot-10 big man instead signed to back up All-NBA center Joel Embiid, who's 10 years Howard's junior, on the Philadelphia 76ers that season. Howard would play his last year in the league to date back with the Lakers, on the club's doomed 33-49 squad in 2022-23.

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