Dwight Howard began playing basketball as a child in Atlanta and became a star at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, where his father, Dwight Sr., was the athletic director.

After leading his team to a state title his senior year, Howard was widely considered the best high school player in the country. He decided to forgo college and was selected No. 1 overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.

After eight seasons in Orlando, Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. He played one season in Los Angeles before being traded to the Houston Rockets, where he played the next three seasons.

In the final six seasons of his NBA career, Howard played for five different teams: the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Washington Wizards, the Philadelphia 76ers, and twice again for the Lakers. In 2020, Howard won his first and only NBA championship as a member of the Lakers.

Howard was an eight-time NBA All-Star and also won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Since the end of his NBA career in 2022, Howard has been playing basketball abroad. In May 2024, he signed a contract with the Taiwan Mustangs.

Outside of basketball, Howard participated in the sixth season of The Masked Singerand was the first competitor eliminated. He also finished third in the first season of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test in 2023.

In 2024, Howard joined the cast of the 33rd season of Dancing with the starswhere he worked with professional partner Daniella Karagech.

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