Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might not only get a statue when the Los Angeles Lakers begin next season, he might also get another opportunity to work with the franchise’s starting center.
While answering questions from fans on Twitter, Dwight Howard was asked if he was going to work out with Abdul-Jabbar.
Howard was referring to getting clearance from his doctors to return to the court after undergoing back surgery in April. The six-time All-Star hopes to be back some time in October.
Abdul-Jabbar responded to Howard’s tweet with a tweet of his own on Monday.
“Lots of news about me and DH – would be great to coach him but as of now still haven’t met him,” Abdul-Jabbar tweeted. “Laker fans hope for the best always!”
Abdul-Jabbar worked with Andrew Bynum, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers last month in the four-team deal that brought Howard to Los Angeles, as a special assistant coach from 2005-09. The two fell out of favor in 2009, when Bynum reportedly told Phil Jackson and the Lakers’ coaching staff that he no longer wanted to work with the Hall of Fame center.
Abdul-Jabbar’s contract as a special assistant for the Lakers expired in 2011. Shortly afterward, he publicly criticized the team for failing to give him a statue and for asking him to take a pay cut and not awarding him playoff shares as a coach due to his reduced role.
The Lakers announced last week that Abdul-Jabbar would get a statue in front of Staples Center on Nov. 16.
WRITTEN BY Arash Markazi | ESPNLosAngeles.com & FULL STORY HERE
