That is a title unwillingly foisted upon him after LeBron James finally shed it this past season.
During their relatively short careers, both superstars have faced immeasurable amounts of criticism and adversity, but only James has been able to overcome these obstacles.
LeBron, a three-time NBA MVP, took some of the most caustic flak ever doled out by the media and fans of the league for jumping ship from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010.
The hate continued through 2011, when LBJ failed to conquer the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, and it didn’t relent until James won a championship in dominant fashion against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012.
James' situation is quite similar to Howard's. The former Magic superstar forced a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, after publicly waffling back and forth on whether or not to stay in Orlando for over a year.
Now that the saga is behind him, Howard is taking notes from James on how to once again become a beloved figure in the public eye.
According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times, Howard is not going to embrace the villain tag that has been placed on him by others—something that comes unnatural to Howard and something James attempted to little success in 2011.
"I have a chance to start over," Howard said. "This is a clean slate. I'm gonna do whatever I can on the court, off the court, to just show people that this is who I am. I haven't changed. I'm the same person. I love to have fun. I love to smile. I love to joke. But when I step on the court, I'm gonna have fun, I'm gonna joke — and I'm gonna dominate. That's how it's always been."
Instead of playing a season full of distractions and trying to adopt a persona that doesn’t fit, Howard will attem...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
