Dwight Howard relates to LeBron James

Houston Rockets centre Dwight Howard has admitted that he "felt like a villain" last year and has related to LeBron James's previous experiences.

Having left the Orlando Magic just over a year ago, Howard has moved on again after a difficult time with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Last year, I felt like I was the villain," Howard said, according to Yahoo Sports. "Now, I feel like I'm an even bigger villain."

"[LeBron] got hated for a lot of reasons. I knew exactly how he felt. People putting you down, saying bad things about your character, who you are as a person. It doesn't sit well with you."

Howard will now hope to put his problems behind him and focus on helping the Rockets to achieve success this season.