EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- An image Los Angeles Lakers fans have been dreaming of for two years finally became a reality Friday night as Dwight Howard held up his newly minted Lakers jersey for the first time at the team's training facility.
Sitting on the Lakers' practice court with 10 Larry O'Brien trophies staring down at him from Lakers executive vice president Jennie Buss' office and 12 championship banners and eight retired jerseys surrounding him on the walls, Howard quickly was introduced to the expectations that now will be placed on him before he even addressed the media.
"There's been a lot of speculation regarding Dwight being traded for the last six to eight to 10 months to a year," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "Today, the speculation finally comes to an end. And we're hopeful that 10 years from now, we can add a jersey to that wall over there that says Dwight Howard."
There's no question the ordeal took longer than Howard, the Orlando Magic and everyone involved would have liked, but Howard finally got his wish to be traded from the Orlando Magic on Friday.
In the process, the Lakers were able to pick up the most dominant big man Los Angeles has seen since Shaquille O'Neal, who left Orlando to come there 16 years ago last month.
Howard now joins a storied lineage of Lakers big men dating back to George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and O'Neal, who all led the Lakers to championships after joining the team.
"I don't want to try to compete with those guys," Howard said. "I want to bring my own flavor to L.A. I saw a picture last night. It was like the Mount Rushmore (of Lakers centers) and they had all those guys up there and said, 'Will he join the list of heads with the Lakers greats.' I want to be great in my own right. I want to write my own history and today is the first day of that history."
Howard let out a big sigh and flashed a big smile when he finally was given his No. 12 Lakers jersey and held it up for the first time. He inspected it from front to back before carrying it around the rest of the day, peaking at it from time to time to make sure it was real.
"It's kind of unreal," Howard said. "It finally happened. It's here. Just walking around upstairs and driving here ... I'm really a part of the Lakers. It hasn't really hit me yet. I'm just happy to be here and I'm going to make the best out of it."
It took four teams, 11 other players, five draft picks and countless rounds of talks over many months, but the Magic decided the time was right to start over without the NBA's best center and end a saga that has dogged the franchise for what seems like an eternity.
"Are we taking a step back? Absolutely, we are," Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. "But we're taking a step back with a vision."
A lot of players found new homes in the blockbuster, including Andrew Bynum, sent by the Lakers to the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers sent Andre Iguodala -- part of the U.S. Olympic team that advanced to the final of the London Games on Friday -- to the Denver Nuggets.
Kupchak was not as definitive on Howard signing a long-term deal with the team next year, admitting the Lakers have yet to discuss an extension with him and took a gamble that Howard will re-sign with the team next year after he experiences a season in Los Angeles with teammates such as Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol.
"Our feeling was, no matter what anyone says, let's just get him to Los Angeles and we'll take our chances," Kupchak said. "It's the organization, ownership, the city of Los Angeles, our ability to win games, surrounding Dwight with players that will make it easier for him to play the game and not have to burden a load that's maybe not fair."
One source briefed on Howard's plans told ESPN.com's Marc Stein the All-Star center will indeed stand firm on his intent to play out the 2012-13 season without extending his contract so he can become a free agent on July 1, 2013. Going that route will enable Howard to decide how comfortable he is in Los Angeles before deciding whether to re-sign with the Lakers or join the Dallas Mavericks, who will have the requisite salary-cap space to sign Howard and who remain one of his preferred destinations from his original list of three teams (Nets, Lakers and Mavericks).
"If Los Angeles doesn't work out for Dwight, Dallas will be there waiting for him," the source told Stein.
While Howard wouldn't commit to the Lakers past this season, he sounded like a player who looked forward to learning from Bryant, Nash and Gasol and one day taking over the reins of the Lakers.
"I want to be a great leader and I have an opportunity to learn from the best in Kobe on how to lead a team," Howard said. "In order to be a great leader, you have to learn how to follow. I'm looking forward to following in the steps of Kobe Bryant in how he leads a team and Steve Nash and Pau. I'm looking forward to learning a lot from those guys because one day I want to be the guy that leads the team to a championship and this is a perfect time to start."
The Lakers pulled off the deal and somehow kept Gasol in the process -- something many didn't expect when the Lakers first started getting mentioned in the Howard trade mix.
The trade was announced during the Spain-Russia semifinal matchup at the Olympics. Gasol scored 16 points, helping the Spanish team reach the gold-medal game with a 67-59 win.
Gasol admitted that he struggled to keep his focus fully on Spain's victory.
