30 Fascinating Facts That Every Fan Should Know About Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard, currently playing for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA), is an eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Here are some really interesting things to know about the American professional basketball player:

1.  He was born Dwight David Howard on December 08, 1985, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sheryl and Dwight Howard Sr. Apart from his brother Jahaziel Howard and a sister Ta Shanda Howard his mother had seven miscarriages before he was born. He was called the miracle child.
2.  His father is a Georgia State Trooper and serves as Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy and his mother played on the inaugural women’s basketball team at Morris Brown College.
3.  Howard spent his childhood years in the small town of Swainsboro, before moving to Atlanta and enrolled at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy as a seventh grader in 1998. He became serious about basketball around the age of nine.
4.  As a power forward in junior year, he averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds and helped SACA reach the Class- A Championship game. In his senior year he averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game to lead his side to 31-2 record and the 2004 state title.
5.  Howard finished his prep career with 2,146 points, 1,728 rebounds, and 811 blocks in 129 varsity games and was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Georgia. He was widely recognized as the best American high school player and was awarded the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the prestigious McDonald’s National Player of the Year Award.
6.  Though he was a big fan of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, he modeled himself after the versatile and athletic big man, Kevin Garnett and chose to forego college for the NBA Draft, just as Garnett had done the same in 1995.
7.  He was preferred over Emeka Okafor, to be selected first overall pick by Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA Draft, and sported jersey number 12, as the reversal of Garnett’s 21 with Minnesota.
8.  Howard made an immediate impact starting leading the franchise in games, starts, rebounds and blocked shots. He averaged 12 points with 10 rebounds and finished third in voting for NBA Rookie of the Year.
9.  He was the first player in NBA history, directly out of high school to start all 82 games during his rookie season. He became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 10 rebounds in a season and at least 20 rebounds in a game.
10.  On November 15, 2005, in the game against Charlotte Bobcats, he became the youngest player to record 20/20 game with 21 points and 20 rebounds.
11.  He ended his second NBA season averaging 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds with 36.8 minutes per game. He ranked second in the NBA in rebound, offensive rebounds, and double-doubles and was selected on the Sophomore Team in the 2006 Rookie Challenge.
12.  In the 2006-07, season he earned his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad and set his personal high 35 points in the game against 76ers on April 14, 2007. He ended the season averaging 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
13.  Howard helped Magic to their first division title in 12 years by posting impressive numbers in the 2007-08, season. He registered 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds 1.3 assists, 2.1 blocks, per game and was named as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
14.  He was voted to the 2007-08, All-NBA First Team for the first time with 546 points and also made it to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team with 25 voting points. During the season he earned two ‘Player of the Week’ and two ‘Player of the Month’ in November and December.
15.  After helping Magic to qualify for the 2008-09, NBA Playoff with its second straight Southern Division title, Howard registered playoff career-high 40 points and 14 rebounds in the deciding game against Cavaliers, to reach the NBA Final for the first time in 14 years.
16.  He registered an average 20.6 points and 13.8 rebounds, including 9.6 defensive rebounds in 2008-09, season to earn the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, the youngest ever to win. He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and to the All-NBA First Team.
17.  Howard won the Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second straight year in 2009-10. He became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in blocks and rebound in the same season twice and for two years in a row. He totaled 228 blocks and 1,082 rebounds in 82 games.
18.  His season average of 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, per game in 2010-11, season led Magic to 52 wins. Howard led the league with 66 double-doubles and 18 technical fouls in the regular season for which he earned one game suspension.
19.  He also scored 2.4 blocks, 1.4 steals apart from registering 10.1 defensive blocks in 2010-11, to earn Defensive Player of the Year Award for the third consecutive seasons, to become the first player in league history.
20.  On January 12, 2012, the Warriors hacked Howard intentionally throughout the game and he set an NBA regular season record of 39 free throws surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s 34 set in 1962.
21.  On April 05, 2012, after the Magic’s morning shoot around, the coach, Van Gundy chose to comment on an Orlando TV report that Howard had asked Magic management to fire him. That’s when things turned awkwardly wacky, as Howard walked up and hugged Van Gundy, unaware that his coach has just confirmed a report that Howard had denied.
22.  In April 2012, Howard underwent back surgery to repair a herniated disk and missed the rest of the season as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics, with six months off from basketball. On August 10, 2012, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
23.  Throughout the 2012-13, season Howard was plagued by injuries and finished the season with lowest scoring average of his career. Though he accumulated 17.1 points, he was the league leader in rebounding with 12.4 per game and ranked second in field goal percentage.
24.  After he declined a contract extension with Lakers, Howard signed with Houston Rockets on July 13, 2013. During his three seasons with Rockets, he led the franchise to their first division title in 20 years and he recorded his 10,000 rebounds and 15,000 points in his career.
25.  On July 12, 2016, Howard signed a three year, $70.5 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks. He recorded 19 rebounds in the match against Wizards on October 27, the most by anyone in their Atlanta debut since 2001.
26.  He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets on June 20, 2017, and during the season he recorded franchise record of 30 rebounds apart from 30 points in a 111-105 win over the Nets on March 21. In the process he became the eighth player in league history with a 30-30 game.
27.  Although Howard signed with the Washington Wizards on July 12, 2018, due to sore back he was forced to undergo spinal surgery and he exercised his $5.6 million player option to play a second season with the Wizards.
28.  He first made into the United States National Basketball Team in March 2006 and was regular starting center in leading the team to its bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. He was also part of gold medal winning USA team at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
29.  As of September 2017, Howard has never married but has fathered five children by five different women living in three different states. Earlier in 2010, he won a defamation judgment against his ex-girlfriend Royce Reed.
30.  As a follower of Christian faith, Howard has established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation Inc. in 2004, to provide scholarships for students who attend Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, and grants to Lovell Elementary School and Middle School in Orlando, Florida.
31.  Dwight Howard Net Worth: $140 Million