Dwight Howard revealed that he has been preparing even before he knew that he was going to reunite with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Aside from the new number, a new Howard is set to play in a purple and gold jersey once again. Even Howard’s physique has evidently changed coming into next season with the Lakers.

In the past, Howard has been regarded as one of the heavy-built big men in the league. However, the 8-time NBA All Star revealed that he has been working on getting back in good shape ever since he recovered from a back surgery.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Howard stated that even before the opportunity to play for the Lakers came, his mentality to become a better player has already been there.

“Just training really hard, just preparing myself to whatever situation I’ll be put into,” Howard said when asked about his trimmed physique.

“I was still in Washington, and I started the journey then just get back in shape from back surgery. I’m just happy to be back and looking forward for the season,” Howard added.

This is the first time Howard will be playing with LeBron James for a whole NBA season. As early as now, the former Orlando Magic star is already looking forward to a great season with “The King.”

“I think we have an opportunity to do some great things together,” Howard said about playing with James.

As expected, Howard was once again asked about what happened with him and the Lakers several years ago. According to Howard, he’s coming off a “fresh start” and all the drama that happened in the past is already water under the bridge.

“It’s in the past. A lot of people want to talk about what happened and stuff like that but for me this is a fresh start. We don’t wanna look too far ahead. We wanna stand the moment,” Howard pointed out.

It will be remembered that Howard compromised his superstar status when he rejoined the Lakers this offseason. But based on Howard’s perspective, all of his achievements mean nothing at this point is he is just focused on helping the Lakers win.

“They mean nothing right now. My job is to help this team win. All the stuff that happened in the past it doesn’t matter at this present time,” Howard stated.

Howard is going to wear number “39” next season, a number which when added together is equivalent to “12” – the number he has been known for during his prime.

Dwight Howard Lakers
Dwight Howard reacts after being fouled against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on April 24, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. Howard reportedly has interest in re-joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
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