Throughout his legendary career, LeBron James has been called many things — Bron, LBJ, the Chosen One, even The King. He has also been called “LeGM“, a distinction that the best player of his generation (and one of the best ever) has routinely railed against.

Central to the “LeGM” narrative is the idea that James — whether he has been in Cleveland, Miami, or Los Angeles — acts as his franchise’s de facto general manager, bringing his friends on board and “kicking out” players with whom he does not get along. One of James‘ former teammates, a star player in his own right during his prime, has made a huge allegation against him that compounds issues LeBron is already facing with ESPN‘s Stephen A. Smith.

Dwight Howard: LeBron kicked me off the Lakers

Former Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard has had a complicated relationship with the Lakers franchise. Initially acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Orlando Magic in 2012, Howard endured one difficult season in Los Angeles before heading to the Houston Rockets in free agency; he later rejoined the Lakers for two more stints and won his sole NBA championship with the franchise during the 2020 COVID “bubble”.

Now, Howard is making the explosive claim that James — the star player on the 2020 championship team — effectively kicked him off the team after he used vulgarity in an attempt to convince James to get back on defense.

“It was after we won the championship, man,” Howard explained on the “Above the Rim with DH12” podcast. “It happened on defense. I was like, ‘Yo, you gotta get back.’ And (LeBron) got mad because I said something. And I was like, ‘Yo, stop acting like a b****, man.'”

Howard’s third and final stint with the Lakers in 2021/22 was a disappointing one; despite boasting one of the NBA’s top rosters on papers, Los Angeles finished with a mediocre 33-49 record and missed the playoffs, perhaps due to the infighting to which Howard has alluded. The five-time All-NBA first team selection and probable Basketball Hall of Fame inductee has not played in the league since; Howard has played some basketball overseas, but at 39 years old, he seems content to no longer have to deal with the rigor of an 82-game NBA schedule…while James, 40, continues to shine for the Lakers.