Veteran basketball star Dwight Howard joined the Washington Wizards in July 2018. His highly illustrious professional basketball career dates back to 2004 when he joined the NBA straight out of high school. A standout high school athlete, Howard won the Mr. Georgia Basketball as well as the Naismith Prep Player of the Year awards in his senior year (2004). He joined the big league with the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic where he had the longest stint of his career.
Playing in the center position, Dwight Howard has made a name for himself as one of the top defenders in the history of the NBA. The basketballer has so far earned 8 NBA All-Star and 5 All-NBA First Team selections. He led the NBA in rebounds in 5 seasons, has been the blocks leader in 2 seasons and remains the only player to have been named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for 3 consecutive seasons.
We are all so familiar with Howard’s exploits on the court but not many of us are with his personal life, thus, in this piece, we will be exploring the baller’s life away from the court but not before we have taken a little look at his career profile.
Dwight Howard’s Career Profile
With a mother who played college basketball and a father who equally served as the sports director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, it isn’t surprising that Dwight Howard ended up a sportsman.
His career began in high school – Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy – where he played in the power forward position for the most part of his highly successful 4-year high school career. He averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game in his senior year, leading the school to a 31-2 record and helping them clinch the 2004 Georgia State Class A title. He was largely considered the best basketball player of the class of 2004 and among other accolades, he was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald’s National High School Player of the Year. He was also named co-MVP of the 2004 McDonald’s All-American Game alongside J. R. Smith.
His Time With Orlando Magic
He declared for the 2004 NBA Draft forgoing the possibility of a college career and was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic, marking the beginning of a highly-decorated professional basketball career.
He made an immediate impact on the Orlando Magic team right from his first season. He made history as the first NBA player directly out of high school to feature in all 82 games of his rookie season and with a scoring average of 12 points and 10 rebounds, he became the youngest NBA player to average a double-double in the regular season. He was converted into a full-fledged center during his second season and finished with an average of 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds, an improvement on his rookie season performance.
The NBA star averaged 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in the 2007-08 regular season, helping the Magic qualify for the 2007 NBA playoffs. He led the league in total rebounds and was also named for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, the first of 8 consecutive selections (2007-2014). Howard’s top-notch performance continued throughout his entire 8-year stint with the Orlando Magic. He won 3 consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards (2009-2011), earned 5 consecutive All-NBA First Team selections (2008–2012), led the league in average rebounds (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012) and also in average blocks (2009, 2010).
…With Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Others
Howard’s impressive run with the Orlando Magic came to an end in August 2012 when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA star averaged 17.1 points, a league-leading 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game during the 2012-13 season, his first and only season with the Lakers. His performance earned him NBA All-Star and All-NBA Third Team selections for 2013. The NBA star then began a 3-year stint with the Houston Rockets in July 2013.
He put up a good show in his first season (2013-14) with the team, averaging 18.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He was plagued by several injuries in the 2014-15 season which limited him to a mere 41 games and he finished with 15.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. His stats dipped further to 13.7 points and 11.8 rebounds during his last season with the Houston Rockets.
He spent the 2016-17 season with the Atlanta Hawks during which he averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. In June 2017, he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in a multi-player deal and in his only season with the team, he averaged 16.6 points and rebounds per game in 81 total appearances. Dwight Howard joined the Washington Wizards in July 2018.
Is Dwight Howard Married?
Dwight Howard has no wife as he has never been married in the past, however, he is known to have been in several relationships that have produced a number of kids. No need mincing words, Howard currently has five kids from five different women; even though there are unverified claims that he has even more kids.
Who Are His Children And Their Mothers?
Dwight’s journey into fatherhood began in 2007 when welcomed his first child – a son named Braylon with his former girlfriend Royce Reed. Royce is a reality TV star and a former Magic dancer.
Two of his sons Trey and David were both born in 2013. His relationship with Christine Vest produced Trey and he had David with another ex-girlfriend named Melissa Rios. Mellisa recently sued Howard demanding full custody on the grounds of negligence.
The NBA star also has 2 beautiful daughters – Jade and Layla. His ex-friend Tiffany Render is Layla’s mother and his relationship with Hope Alexa produced Jade.
Howard has had a rather rocky relationship with some of his baby mothers, however, he has managed to stay close to each of his children though they live in different parts of the country.
Is He Currently In Any Relationship?
The NBA star who is obviously a lady’s man recently confirmed his engagement to Te’a Cooper – a South Carolina basketball player. Howard’s response of “Duh!” to an IG user question, if they are engaged, was all fans need to confirm the speculation.
The duo has been dating since 2018 and rumors of their engagement have been on for months after Cooper was spotted flaunting her ring on Instagram. We wish them all the best and hope to hear the wedding bells pretty soon.
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