Dwight Howard: Stephen A. Smith claims former NBA star's sexual assault lawsuit was the reason teams
Dwight Howard failed to stay in the NBA last year because teams were aware of the lawsuit that was coming his way, according to Stephen A. Smith.
Howard, who now plays in Taiwan after his third stint with the LA Lakers came to an end in 2022, is facing allegations of sexual assault and battery following an incident which took place at his Georgia home in 2021.
The former Orlando Magic center is being sued in his home state by a man named Stephen Harper, who claims he was sexually assaulted in July of 2021.
On Wednesday, he denied sexually assaulting Harper and instead claimed through his attorney that the two had a consensual encounter.
In his last NBA season, Howard averaged career-lows in points (6.2) and rebounds (5.9) per game for the Lakers before he was released upon the expiry of his contract.
Dwight Howard (left) failed to stay in the NBA last year because teams were aware of the lawsuit that was coming his way, says Stephen A. Smith (right)
Howard is facing allegations of sexual assault and battery following an incident which took place at his Georgia home in 2021
Smith is convinced that no NBA team chose to snap him up last year because of the lawsuit
And Smith is convinced that no other team chose to snap him up because of the sexual-assault accusations that were being made against him.
'Let me tell you what came to my mind when I thought about this: That’s why teams didn’t want him,' he said about Howard's lawsuit on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
'Now, whether they’re going to admit it or not and I’m not going to mention teams, because I don’t want to incriminate anybody or accuse anybody of something I simply don’t know, I’m guessing. What I’m saying is that’s the first thought that came to my mind, that’s why they don’t want him.
'Because what do I constantly try to educate y’all about as somebody that’s been a reporter for 30 years – we always know more than we reveal.'
Howard did train with the Golden State Warriors this offseason, although nothing ever came of his sessions in San Francisco.
In light of his lawsuit, the 37-year-old responded to his apparent 'haters' on social media in two unusual videos shared on his TikTok account.
In the first of the clips Howard is initially seen typing on his computer, before picking up the phone and slowly descending into a vicious rage made all the more extreme by the video being sped up.
The post is captioned: 'How they want me to respond to haters online' along with a laughing emoji.
However, the second post manages to surpass it in terms of wackiness.
In this clip, Howard is standing behind what appears to be a genuine lion as it lets out a menacing roar, before the former Orlando Magic and LA Lakers star attempts his own one.
Howard hit back at his online 'haters' by uploading two bizarre clips on TikTok this week
The video was a response to a message from another TikTok user which read: 'We just wanna know who Kitty is bro'.
The message appeared to be a reference to Howard's currently legal battle with Harper, who alleged in his initial complaint that the basketball player surprised him by bringing out a man dressed as a woman who referred to himself as 'Kitty.'
Howard claimed that he and Harper removed their clothes and 'engaged in consensual kissing' in his bedroom, while also alleging that Harper knew 'Kitty' would be at his residence.
Harper, though, contends that he was made to participate in a threesome against his will while being 'pinned down and forced to remain in place' by the 6-foot-10, 265-pound Howard.
Harper's lawsuit also contains allegations of intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment against Howard.
Howard's attorney claims the former NBA star is the victim of an extortion attempt.
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