For those unfamiliar with his background, Dwight Howard, age 37, boasts a stellar basketball career, having earned eight All-Star selections and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was widely recognized as one of the NBA’s most dominant centers during his illustrious 18-year professional tenure.
Howard’s journey in the NBA included stops at seven different franchises, most notably the Orlando Magic, who selected him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He also had a memorable stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he clinched his lone NBA championship during the pandemic-affected 2019-20 season. Remarkably, Howard had three separate tenures with the Lakers, including his final NBA season in 2021-22. Throughout his career, he averaged 15.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, leading the league in rebounding on five occasions.
However, Howard’s career was not without controversy, as he gained a reputation for being a disruptive presence in the locker room, often spending no more than a single season with the same team during his last six seasons in the league. His journey took an unexpected turn when he played in Taiwan during the 2022-2023 season.
In recent news, Dwight Howard has vehemently denied allegations from a Georgia man who claims he was sexually assaulted by the former NBA star and another individual.
Over the weekend, COMPLEX, a media site, released a statement on behalf of the eight-time NBA All-Star, addressing the various accusations leveled against him. According to the statement issued by Howard and his team, the core issue is not sexual assault but rather the pursuit of financial gain and greed by the individual, Stephen Harper, who is suing him. Howard also noted that Harper has a history of making multiple attempts to extort money from him.
Dwight Howard’s statement is as follows:
“This is a civil case that was made public for profit. In this case, the accuser is solely suing Dwight Howard and has refrained from suing the other party in which he claims to be involved. It is important to know that these matters were NEVER about sexual assault. This was merely about money and greed. Such individuals have made continuous attempts to elicit payment from Dwight. This has resulted in intimidation of not only Dwight, but also his family and friends have been targeted as well.”
Stephen Harper initiated a state civil lawsuit against Howard in July, alleging assault and battery, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Importantly, no criminal charges have been filed against Howard.
In response, Howard’s attorney submitted a legal response this week, asserting that the encounter in question in 2021, at his Atlanta suburb residence, was consensual and requesting the dismissal of the case.
Harper’s lawsuit alleges that he met Howard through Instagram, and they engaged in explicit text messages before arranging to meet at Howard’s home on July 19, 2021. While en route to the Gwinnett County residence, Harper claims that Howard inquired about the possibility of another person joining their planned encounter, to which Harper expressed his disinterest.
Upon reaching Howard’s residence, Harper alleges that they were joined by an individual who presented as “Kitty,” dressed as a woman and providing limited identification. Harper asserts that he attempted to resist the advances of Howard and Kitty but was allegedly coerced into engaging in sexual activity.
Howard, in his response, challenged these allegations, contending that all three parties willingly engaged in consensual sexual activity. He has requested a summary judgment, with court costs and attorney fees to be assessed against Harper.
Harper reported the alleged assault to Gwinnett County police nearly a year later, on July 15, 2022. Following the initial report, police attempted to schedule a formal interview with Harper, as per a police incident report. Despite multiple attempts to meet with him, the detective suspended the case due to a lack of participation from the alleged victim.