Dwight Howard is a former American professional basketball player, known as "Superman" for his athleticism. An NBA champion and eight-time All-Star, Howard has been recognized as one of the league's best, earning eight All-NBA Team selections. He also excelled defensively, securing five All-Defensive Team nods and winning the Defensive Player of the Year award three times.
Dwight Howard recalls Nike's brutal rejection out of high school before brand controversy. Howard also claims Chinese brand Peak owes him money from a past deal. He reveals the harsh truth behind Nike's decision.
On January 12, 2012, Howard broke Wilt Chamberlain's regular-season record of 34 free throws set in 1962.
On December 8, 1985, Dwight David Howard II was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1995, Kevin Garnett's decision to forego college inspired Dwight Howard's decision to declare for the 2004 NBA draft.
In 2004, Dwight Howard led his team to a 31–2 record and the state title, averaging 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game. He was also 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 co-MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game.
In 2004, Dwight Howard was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic in the NBA draft after forgoing college.
In 2004, Dwight Howard was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic in the NBA draft and took the number 12 for his jersey.
In 2004, Dwight Howard, together with his parents, established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation Inc.
Starting with ESPN NBA 2K5 in 2004, Dwight Howard appeared in every entry of the NBA 2K series of basketball simulation video games up until NBA 2K22 in 2021.
The United States' streak of winning gold medals was interrupted at the 2004 Olympics.
On November 15, 2005, Dwight Howard became the youngest player ever to score 20 or more points and gather 20 or more rebounds in the same game.
Dwight Howard led the NBA in dunks for six consecutive seasons, from 2005-06 to 2010-2011.
In 2005, Dwight Howard was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team and played in the NBA Rookie Challenge.
Starting with NBA Live 2005 in 2005, Dwight Howard appeared in every NBA Live entry until the series was canceled in 2018 following NBA Live 19.
On March 5, 2006, Dwight Howard was named to the 2006–2008 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program.
On April 2, 2006, Dwight Howard appeared as a special guest on an episode of the ABC series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
During the 2006–07 NBA season, Howard played in all 82 regular-season games for the third consecutive season. He qualified for the 2007 NBA Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
In 2006, Dwight Howard was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the Rookie Challenge during the All-Star break.
On February 1, 2007, Dwight Howard received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad.
On February 9, 2007, Dwight Howard made a game-winning alley-oop off an inbound pass at the buzzer against the San Antonio Spurs.
In December 2007, ESPN writer David Thorpe declared Dwight Howard the most dominant center in the NBA.
Dwight Howard continued posting impressive numbers in the 2007–08 season and helped the Magic have their best season to date.
Dwight Howard led the NBA in dunks for six consecutive seasons, from 2005-06 to 2010-2011, with a high of 269 dunks in the 2007-2008 season
In 2007, Dwight Howard participated in the Slam Dunk Contest, completing an alley oop dunk from Jameer Nelson while slapping a sticker onto the backboard. He also began a streak of leading the NBA in rebounding from 2007 to 2010.
On February 16, 2008, Dwight Howard won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest with innovative dunks, including one with a Superman cape, receiving 78% of the fan votes.
On June 23, 2008, Dwight Howard was named to the 12-man squad to represent the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Dwight Howard led the NBA in dunks for six consecutive seasons, from 2005-06 to 2010-2011, with a high of 269 dunks in the 2007-2008 season
In November 2009, Dwight Howard was named one of the 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service.
After a game in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala praised Dwight Howard's defensive capabilities.
In 2009, Dwight Howard was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the youngest player to ever win the award. He led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals.
In the 2009–10 season, the Magic got off to a strong start, winning 17 of their first 21 games and setting a franchise record.
On January 21, 2010, Dwight Howard was named as the starting center for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
Dwight Howard led the NBA in rebounding from 2007 to 2010.
In 2010, Dwight Howard won a defamation judgment against Royce Reed, the mother of his oldest child Braylon, after she violated a court order prohibiting her from mentioning him in the media.
In the 2010–11 season, Dwight Howard became the first player in league history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors for three consecutive seasons.
In 2011, Dwight Howard played himself on an episode of The Suite Life on Deck alongside fellow NBA players Deron Williams and Kevin Love.
In 2011, Dwight Howard's running vertical leap was tested at 39.5 inches.
In 2011, during the lockout-shortened season, Dwight Howard demanded a trade to the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, or Dallas Mavericks.
On March 15, 2012, on the day of the trading deadline for the 2011–12 NBA season, Howard had previously asked to be traded to the New Jersey Nets.
On January 12, 2012, Dwight Howard attempted an NBA regular season record 39 free throws against the Golden State Warriors, making 21 of them.
On January 24, 2012, Dwight Howard became the Orlando Magic's all-time scoring leader.
On January 31, 2012, Dwight Howard was honored as one of the 35 greatest McDonald's All-Americans.
On March 15, 2012, Dwight Howard waived his right to opt out of his contract and committed to stay with the Magic through the 2012–13 season.
On April 19, 2012, Dwight Howard's agent announced that Howard would undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2011-12 season and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
On August 10, 2012, Dwight Howard was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a deal involving the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets.
Dwight Howard led the NBA in rebounding again from 2012 to 2013.
Following his breakout campaign, Dwight Howard signed a five-year, $80 million extension that would keep him in Orlando through the 2012–13 season.
In 2012, Dwight Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers after playing eight seasons with the Orlando Magic.
On January 4, 2013, Howard injured his right shoulder in the second half of the Lakers' 107–102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
On July 13, 2013, Dwight Howard signed a four-year, $88 million contract with the Houston Rockets, joining James Harden.
Dwight Howard led the NBA in rebounding again from 2012 to 2013.
In a 2013 interview, Dwight Howard called his former Orlando Magic teammates a "team full of people no one wanted". Also, a 2013 article by Bleacher Report asserted Howard had "extinguished all bridges" with the Magic franchise.
In October 2014, police in Cobb County, Georgia, investigated claims by Royce Reed that Dwight Howard abused their son. Howard admitted to hitting Braylon with a belt but was not charged.
During the 2014 Gaza war, Dwight Howard tweeted "Free Palestine", but NBA commissioner Adam Silver told him to remove the tweet and apologize.
In 2014, Epix featured Dwight Howard as the focal point of a documentary about his life called In the Moment.
On November 4, 2015, Dwight Howard scored 23 points and had 14 rebounds against the Orlando Magic, shooting 10-of-10, becoming the first Rocket to make 10 or more field goals without a miss since Yao Ming in 2009.
During a 2015 game, Dwight Howard, as a member of the Rockets, was caught on video grabbing the genitals of teammate Isaiah Canaan.
On January 18, 2016, in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Howard had 36 points and tied a career high with 26 rebounds, marking his 10th straight double-double.
On June 22, 2016, Dwight Howard declined his $23 million player option for the 2016–17 season and became an unrestricted free agent.
On July 12, 2016, Dwight Howard signed a three-year, $70 million contract with his hometown team, the Atlanta Hawks.
On July 6, 2018, Dwight Howard was traded to the Brooklyn Nets and then waived immediately upon being acquired.
On July 12, 2018, Dwight Howard signed a two-year, $10.9 million contract with the Washington Wizards.
In 2018, NBC News reported that "Howard’s time with the Magic, Lakers and Rockets devolved into interpersonal strife well before he left those teams". Also in 2018, The Ringer published a piece titled "Everybody (Still) Hates Dwight".
The NBA Live series was canceled in 2018 following NBA Live 19, ending Dwight Howard's appearances in the game.
On April 18, 2019, Dwight Howard exercised his $5.6 million player option to play a second season with the Wizards.
On July 6, 2019, Dwight Howard was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for C. J. Miles.
On August 24, 2019, Dwight Howard was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies.
On August 26, 2019, Dwight Howard signed a $2.6 million veteran's minimum contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, reuniting with his former team.
When the Lakers signed Dwight Howard in 2019, the team reportedly warned Howard that he would be dismissed if he engaged in any "tomfoolery or shenanigans".
On January 13, 2020, Dwight Howard scored a season-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and got a season-high 15 rebounds.
On March 27, 2020, Melissa Rios, the mother of Dwight Howard's son David, died following an epileptic seizure.
On November 21, 2020, Dwight Howard signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers worth $2,564,753.
In 2020, Dwight Howard won an NBA championship as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
In July 2021, an encounter at Dwight Howard's Georgia residence led to a lawsuit for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment in July 2023.
On August 6, 2021, Dwight Howard signed a $2.6 million veteran's minimum contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for another stint.
After the 2021–22 NBA season, Dwight Howard moved overseas and signed with the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League.
Dwight Howard's last appearance in the NBA 2K series of basketball simulation video games was in 2021's NBA 2K22.
On November 7, 2022, Dwight Howard signed with the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League in Taiwan.
On his 37th birthday in 2022, Dwight Howard raised over NT$3 million with a charitable auction, selling collectible jerseys and pairs of shoes worn by Howard.
In February 2023, Dwight Howard was named an All-Star for the T1 League, All-Star Game Most Famous Player, and selected to participate in the Three-Point Contest.
On May 10, 2023, Dwight Howard was selected to the T1 League All-Defensive First Team for the 2022–23 season.
In July 2023, Dwight Howard was sued for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment by a man regarding an incident in July 2021.
In 2023, Dwight Howard finished third on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
On March 1, 2024, Dwight Howard briefly signed with the Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, but never played for them.
On May 30, 2024, Dwight Howard joined the Taiwan Mustangs of The Asian Tournament (TAT).
In August 2024, the lawsuit against Dwight Howard for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment was dismissed with prejudice.
On September 4, 2024, Dwight Howard competed on the thirty-third season of Dancing with the Stars, paired with Daniella Karagach.
In 2024, Dwight Howard appeared as a guest in the "Taipei" episode of the Netflix docu-series Somebody Feed Phil.
In 2025, Dwight Howard was chosen to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as an individual player and also as a member of the 2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team.
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