Dwight Howard Addresses Claim He Sexually Assaulted a Man in Georgia

Dwight Howard says he never assaulted Stephen Harper.

By Brian Jones

Dwight Howard has broken his silence about the most recent allegations against him. The former NBA All-Star has denied he sexually assaulted a man in Georgia during an encounter in 2021. Stephen Harper filed a civil lawsuit against Howard in July, alleging assault and battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Harper reported the alleged assault to police in Gwinnett County in July of  2022. However, Harper never gave a formal interview to the police, and there are no criminal charges filed against Howard. 

Howard's lawyer said in October that his client, Harper and another man agreed to "engage in consensual sexual activity," per CBS Sports. Howard is asking for a summary judgment, which is a judgment entered by a court without a full trial. He's also asking for costs and attorney fees to be paid by Harper. 

The lawsuit states that Harper agreed to meet at Howard's home after connecting on Instagram. Howard asked Harper if another man or woman could join, which Harper declined. Another man named "Kitty" was there when Harper arrived, and Howard and "Kitty" allegedly forced Harper to participate in sexual activity. 

"What was a private consensual encounter was made public for profit and Mr. Howard looks forward to bringing the truth to light in a court of law," one of Howard's attorneys, Justin Bailey, told ESPN. "The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth. The truth is Mr. Howard blocked Mr. Harper on social media and then was confronted with two options -- pay to protect his reputation or have a fabricated story made public. Despite being an easy target due to the subject matter and his status as a celebrity, Mr. Howard chose to trust in the justice system and will rely on all future court filings to speak for themselves."

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Howard went to Instagram Live on Oct. 26 to address the accusations. "Stop worrying about it. I ain't gotta deny it, I don't gotta talk about none of that crap," he said. "This s— didn't even happen. You worried about the wrong stuff. That's why it's called an accusation. Allegedly. Come on, man."

Howard, 37, recently played for the Tayuan Leopards in Taiwan. He played in the NBA from 2004 to 2022 and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year three times. Howard was also named an All-Star eight times and won an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. 

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