You never know who you’re going to see walking down the streets of New York.
Former Lakers center Dwight Howard was seen roaming the Big Apple. He had a hilarious moment with a young fan after he was mistaken for Heat center Bam Adebayo.
Howard reaffirmed to the fan that it was OK to mistake him for someone else, to which, shortly after, Howard saw a familiar face walking down the street.
Howard noticed a large person walking on the sidewalk and compared his size to Patrick Ewing, only to find out it was former Lakers center Andrew Bynum.
“Is that him? That is Andrew Bynum,” Howard said in the video. “Oh s–t!”
Howard hugged the former Lakers center and told him it was good to see him.
Bynum, a New Jersey native, went on his way after saying hello to Howard, leaving his face with a big smile.
Despite both players spending time with the Lakers, the two never were teammates. Bynum’s departure resulted in Howard coming to LA.
Bynum was traded to the 76ers just before the 2012-2013 season as part of a four-team trade sending Howard to the Lakers to play with Kobe Bryant.
When the trade happened, Bynum was fresh from an All-Star season in which he averaged 18.7 points, 1.9 blocks and 11.8 rebounds.
Despite being traded to Philadelphia, Bynum never played a game for the 76ers. He missed the season due to knee injuries.
Bynum played one more year in the NBA before retiring after the 2013-2014 season.
When Howard arrived in LA, it was supposed to be a match made in heaven because he and Bryant were expected to be the NBA’s best duo.
That match became much more complex as the two had a love-hate relationship as teammates despite Howard averaging 18.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game during the 2012-13 season.
The Lakers finished the regular season at 45-37 and were swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Spurs.
After the season, Howard left the Lakers and spent the next three years with the Rockets.
Before he retired from basketball in March, Howard had two more stints in LA during the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 seasons.
During the 2019-2020 season, he helped the Lakers win their 17th NBA championship while playing alongside LeBron James.
