Dwight Howard started his career as one of the most likable stars in the NBA. Howard led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals, won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards and dominated the Slam Dunk Contest while dressed as Superman.
Howard was as marketable of a star as they came in the late 2000s.
Fast forward to the present, and Dwight Howard’s personal life has clouded his career and reputation. We’ll leave the allegations of physical attacks against his children and the plethora of baby mamas that would make Shawn Kemp proud out of this story.
Let’s just focus on Howard’s admissions of sexual encounters with men, especially one that resulted in a lawsuit in 2023.
Howard was sued by a man for assault of a sexual nature in an encounter that Howard then claimed — in court under oath — was completely consensual. Despite not trying to hide that he had gay sex, Howard is still denying that he’s “gay” in 2025 (though he certainly left the door open for other LGBTQ identities).
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When he was asked earlier this year by podcaster Patrick Bet-David talked with Howard about the years-long speculation — based on his public actions and statements under oath — that he’s not straight.
“This guy’s either straight, he’s gay, he’s bisexual, he’s fooling everybody. So which one is it?” Bet-David asked.
Howard was adamant: “Hell no, I’m not gay.”
He then dismissed the whole speculation about a moment when he grabbed the crotch of a teammate, claiming that never happened. It did. Here it is.
He then dismissed that whole episode as a “joke”… even though he said he never did it.
Dwight Howard said under oath he has ‘consensual’ sex with men
The way that Howard regularly dismisses his potential non-straightness is hypocritical and homophobic. If you’re a guy who wants sex with other guys, even in a one-off occurrence, you’re at least curious what it’s like to be gay, bi, queer, whatever.
No, this isn’t just about him talking about “the D” or grabbing a teammate’s crotch. Again, he said under oath he engaged in “consensual sexual activity” with a guy.
Howard’s experimental side — or if it’s more than that — isn’t something he should scoff at. If he were comfortable in his own skin and within his hyper-masculine professional sporting world that he’s been a part of for two decades, Howard would be cool telling everyone that he’s not ashamed of his time with another man.
As well he shouldn’t be.
Maybe it’s for the best that Howard tries to erase his “gay” experimentation from the public. Young LGBTQ teens and adults deserve better role models than someone who has an allegedly rocky relationship with appropriate physical interactions with others.
He’s not the type of out athlete that can blaze a trail and make the LGBTQ community proud.
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