Dwight Howard admits he wanted to be in Brooklyn

It was the story of the season last year in the NBA, but new Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard admitted he wanted to be a member of the Brooklyn Nets.

"I did want to go to Brooklyn. That's a place where I told the Magic that I really wanted to go," Howard said to ESPN NewYork 98.7 FM in a report by Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com on Thursday. "[But] I was traded to the Lakers, and I think it was a blessing in disguise.

" ... I think there's a reason why everything happened the way it happened. So far it's been an unbelievable experience for me. ... It's like a dream come true."

Trade talks swirled for most of last season between the Howard, the Orlando Magic and the Nets before fizzling out. The four-team trade that landed the center in Los Angeles joins him with the star-studded likes of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash.