Howard said until last summer, he …

Howard said until last summer, he couldn’t have imagined returning to L.A., where in 2012-13, he was an All-Star and led the league in rebounds, but the team’s season ended with a disappointing first-round playoff sweep followed by his unceremonious departure in free agency. “I was really upset about how things ended the last time I was in L.A.” Howard said. “I felt like I got so much criticism for leaving and so I was like, ‘Man, I would never go back.’ You know? I hated that place. I was just so upset. And last summer I was really working on being able to forgive and allowing my ego to leave and just work on forgiving people and situations that I felt like I was wronged in but not looking at the picture like, ‘What did I do in that situation?’ I was like, ‘I gotta forgive.’ ”