Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard, a professional American basketball player, was born on December 8, 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia. He plays in the National Basketball Association as a Center. Currently, he is playing for the Taoyuan Leopards in the T1 League. Howard is an NBA champion, 8-time NBA All-Star and 5-time All-NBA First Team alongside winning many other honors and awards. Dwight Howard started playing in the NBA in 2004 when he was picked by the Orlando Magic. Later, Dwight played for several other franchises, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers.

Dwight Howard Early Life

Born on December 8, 1985, Dwight Howard is one of the most brilliant basketball talents in the world. Before his birth, his mother, Sheryl Howard, faced seven miscarriages. The 6ft 10inch tall player gained his roots in basketball during his childhood. His parents were also professional basketball players. His father (Dwight Howard Sr.) was a state-level player and is now working as the Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. His mother (Sheryl Howard) was also a member of her college (Morris Brown College) basketball team. Hence, Dwight started his basketball training when he was 9.

Dwight Howard attended Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy to play high school basketball for four years. He idolized Michael Jordon and followed his style. After finishing high school, Dwight Howard decided to skip college to join the NBA. In the 2004 NBA draft, the Orlando Magic picked him up with the first overall pick. Dwight moved to the Los Angeles Lakers after spending 8 seasons with the Magic.

Dwight Howard NBA Journey

Dwight Howard skipped his college career and entered the NBA following his successes in school time. This decision was also inspired by his idol Kevin Garnett. Howard also chose jersey number 12. It was the reverse of Garnett’s jersey number 21. He was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA draft. Dwight created several NBA records and became the youngest player in NBA history to average a double-double in the regular season.

In a contest against the Charlotte Hornets on November 15, 2005, Dwight recorded 21 points and 20 rebounds. With this, he became the youngest player ever to post 20 or more points and rebounds in the same game. In the 2006-07 season, he played in all 82 regular-season matches. He registered a new career-high 35 points on April 14 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

He continued serving the Magic with superior performance in the 2007-08 season and helped his team to have the best season to date. In the 2008-09 season, Dwight Howard played superbly to help his team enter the NBA Finals for the first time in 14 years. However, the Orlando Magic failed to curb the Lakers in the finals.

On August 10, 2012, Dwight moved to the Lakers but witnessed some months off the court due to injuries. Dwight injured his right shoulder on January 4, 2013 in a game against the Clippers. Soon he found his tenure ending with the Los Angeles Lakers and moved to the Houston Rockets.

Dwight Howard signed a deal with the Rockets on July 13, 2013. He finished his regular season averaging 18.3 points and 12.2 rebounds. After that Dwight also missed some straight games due to a strained right knee. However, Howard posted his 10,000th career rebound on December 13 against the Nuggets. On July 12, 2016, Dwight joined the Atlanta Hawks under a three-year contract. In his debut for the Hawks, Dwight posted 19 rebounds against the Wizards.

The Hornets acquired Dwight on June 20, 2017 in the 2017 NBA draft. He became the first Charlotte player since 2007 to begin the season with four consecutive 15-rebound games. He signed an agreement with the Washington Wizards on July 12, 2018.

Further, Dwight Howard got the chance to rejoin the Lakers in 2019. During this stint with the Lakers, Dwight became the NBA champion when they beat the Miami Heat in the final. He moved to the Lakers again for the third stint also after spending a season with the 76ers in 2020-2021. Presently, Dwight Howard is playing in the Taiwanese T1 League and he is representing Taoyuan Leopards in the league.

Dwight Howard Education

Dwight Howard decided to spend his high school career with Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He started playing for the school in 1998 and spent four years. Later, Howard decided to forgo college following his successes in high school. He skipped college to enter the NBA and appeared in the 2004 NBA draft.

Dwight Howard Championship

Dwight Howard started taking interest in the game of basketball in his childhood. Both his parents are also former basketball players who motivated and encouraged Dwight for the game. Dwight Howard played high school basketball at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy but skipped his college career to play directly in the NBA. He joined the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA draft and served the franchise through eight seasons.

Then, Dwight carried forward his NBA professional career through several other franchises i.e. the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout his entire career, he became an NBA champion in 2020 when he was serving the Lakers.

Dwight Howard Awards and Achievements

Dwight Howard Net Worth

Dwight Howard is one of the top-ranked players in the professional NBA league. He was pretty clear about his dream in his childhood and started working on his skills at a young age. Since his introduction to professional basketball, Howard has won several honors, awards and recognition. Also, he has earned a huge fortune in his professional basketball career. As of 2023, his net worth is estimated at US$140 million. He was one of the best-paid players in the NBA league.

Dwight Howard Contract

Howard didn’t play college basketball and entered the NBA right after his schooling. He started his NBA journey with the Orlando Magic in 2004. In 2012, Dwight shifted to the Lakers. The Lakers offered him a contract of US$118 million for five years to be the free agent in the summer. Howard signed a three-year agreement with the Atlanta Hawks on July 12, 2016 worth US$70 million.

Further, Dwight Howard played for the Hornets and Wizards before rejoining the Lakers in 2019. He was offered a contract worth 2.6 million US dollars. The professional player signed a single-year agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers on November 21, 2020 worth US$2,564,753. During his third stint with the Lakers, Dwight came across a US$2.6 million contract with the franchise on August 6, 2021. After that, Dwight Howard left the NBA and shifted to the T1 League in Taiwan. He signed an agreement with the Taoyuan Leopards on November 7, 2022.

Dwight Howard Family

Dwight Howard took birth into a family of athletes. The Christian family was already involving professional basketball players to motivate Dwight to the game. His father Dwight David Howard II played state-level basketball and is currently serving as an athletic director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Also, his mother Sheryl Howard played basketball for his college team. Dwight has two siblings – Jahaziel Howard and TaShanda Howard. In terms of his marital life, he has five children by five women. Later, he came across some domestic disputes with his wives.

Dwight Howard Girlfriend

Dwight Howard is famous for having five children from five different women. Later, he was identified as being involved in the matter of abuse and defamation that had bad impacts on his personality. He proceeded to put an allegation against one of his children’s mothers (Royce Reed) in 2010. Reed was bound to pay a fine of US$500 since she mentioned his name publicly on different occasions.

Dwight Howard Dad

Dwight Howard was born in the home of Sheryl Howard and Dwight David Howard Sr. in Atlanta, Georgia. His father also played basketball at the state level. He is presently working as an Athletic Director at the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.

Dwight Howard Shoe

During the 2019-20 season, Dwight Howard is primarily wearing Kobes, especially the Kobe 4 Protro. Earlier, Howard was wearing China’s Peak along with his own signature shoes – the DH3. He also wore Adidas.