Dwight Howard insists that he had no role in the decision to fire Stan Van Gundy.

"I hate to see anyone lose their job," Howard told TMZ. "... Me and Stan ... we had our ups and downs ... but for the most part we had one goal ... to win a championship in Orlando, but we fell short."

Van Gundy claimed in April that Howard had been given the power to decide the fate of the coach and general manager as a condition of signing a long-term deal.

Magic CEO Alex Martins denied Howard's involvement this week.

"At no time during that time did Dwight ask me to have Stan fired," said Martins.

"I'm glad [Martins] confirmed I had nothing to do with it," Howard told TMZ.