Dwight Howard

Dwight has fathered five children with five different women. His son, Braylon, was born to his ex-girlfriend, Royce Reed. She is the former cheer girl for ‘Orlando Magic’. They both had a few legal issues which were eventually resolved. Dwight was charged with hitting his son with a belt. His justification was rejected by the court and he was penalized for the same.

Dwight was born Dwight David Howard in Atlanta on December 8, 1985. Born to Dwight Howard Sr. and Sheryl Howard, he was regarded a miracle child, for his mother had seven stillborn babies prior to his birth.

Dwight was destined to become a sportsperson as both his parents were former basketball players. His father, who was a state level player, is now serving as the Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. His mother too played basketball for her college team. Dwight started his training in basketball when he was nine years old.

In a short span of time, Dwight became familiar with the basics of the sport. He considered Michael Jordon as his hero and followed his style. He also idolizes Kevin Garnett, who has inspired Dwight all the way through.

Despite having a body type that is usually considered unsuitable for the game, Dwight managed to excel, especially at the guard position. He, in no time, caught the attention of the NBA selection committee even before registering his name to play for the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy High School basketball team. He played for the team for a total of four years starting from 1998. He started off as the point guard, worked his way to small forward and finally became the power forward. With an average of 16.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.3 blocks per game, Dwight emerged as the team’s most prominent player.

His team qualified for the state level championship in 2004 and he played exceptionally well, scoring an average of 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game. His incredible performance earned him a few awards including ‘Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award’, ‘Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award’, ‘Gatorade National Player of the Year’ and ‘McDonald's National High School Player of the Year’.

Dwight’s decision to drop out of college was inspired by Garnett’s decision as he too, had dropped out of his college. Dwight’s name was listed in the 2004 NBA Draft and he joined ‘Orlando Magic’.

The team was not at its best as it had lost a few matches prior to Dwight’s entry. Post Dwight’s entry, everything changed for good as he not only contributed towards the team’s success but also improved his own game. He closed out the rookie season with 112 points. He scored 10 rebounds in the season and that made him the youngest player to do so.

When Dwight returned for the second season, he looked more muscular than before. Looking at his daunting physical appearance, Coach Brian Hill made him the full-fledged center. According to the coach, Dwight’s defense was his weak point. He also thought Dwight had to work on his post-up. After working on his weak zones, there was a dramatic improvement in his game which in turn helped his team to reach the 2006 Rookie Challenge of NBA All-Star Weekend. Dwight scored 26 rebounds against ‘Philadelphia 76ers’ which was the highest in his career. He ended the game with 28 points, which was very close to the NBA ideal game score of 30-30.

Despite his phenomenal performance, his team failed to reach the finals. But Howard was far from giving up. He bounced back for the 2007-2008 season which is considered as the team’s best played season to date. By the end of the season, Dwight’s average was a staggering 20 points and 20 rebounds per game.

In the 2009 Eastern Conference, Dwight closed out the finals with an average of 40.14 rebounds. That was Orlando’s first ever victory in the finals. After that, he had a few more dominant seasons.