When NBA legend Dwight Howard brought the curtain down on his illustrious 20-year career last week, it should have been a moment of celebration for one of the league’s most decorated players.
The 40-year-old Atlanta native enjoyed a storied career in the NBA, which saw him lift one championship in 2020, earn eight All-Star nods and cement his legacy as one of the most dominant defensive forces in the history of the sport.
However, his goodbye to the game was overshadowed by a painfully candid admission in his farewell statement; revealing that even ‘Superman’ cries sometimes.
‘Woke up today on the 12th of this month and I figured it’s time to move on from Superman! I’m no super human… I cry! I struggle! I feel like everyone else,’ he wrote.
‘Through the lies, the media and the hate I still show love and smile through the storm,’ the 40-year-old wrote alongside a video looking back at his journey.
Perhaps this message would appear cryptic to most fans. Why would Howard sign off in such a somber and melancholy manner, rather than celebrate his iconic career?
Dwight Howard and wife Amy Luciani are embroiled in a legal battle amid their ongoing divorce
After just 14 months of marriage, the eight-time All-Star officially filed for divorce on March 9
Well, the answer lies in his ongoing legal feud with his estranged spouse; TV personality and rapper Amy Luciani, whom he only married in January 2025.
After just 14 months of marriage to Luciani, the eight-time All-Star officially filed for divorce on March 9 – just three days before his NBA retirement – following a series of alleged events involving the police and Child Protective Services, as well as a claim of drug use.
For context, the couple only went public with their romance in December 2024 before officially tying the knot in a private ceremony a month later on January 11, 2025.
However, just six months in, Luciani filed for divorce with the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
After friends reportedly talked her out of the decision – leading to her withdrawing her divorce petition – the couple appeared as though they were trying to make it work.
But all of that blew up this month when Luciani called 911 on March 6 claiming that Howard had locked her out of their 35,000-square-foot Georgia mansion.
In distressing audio obtained by TMZ, Luciani told officers: ‘Anytime he gets upset with me, I come home, the gate’s locked. He just did it again. We had an argument.
‘He lost custody of his daughter last night with CPS,’ she continued. ‘He took it out on me and he went all ballistic.
Just six months in, Luciani filed for divorce with the former Los Angeles Lakers star
After friends reportedly talked her out of the decision, she withdrew her divorce petition
‘I cannot keep being made to sleep in my car when my husband gets mad because he’s a multi-millionaire and he’s an NBA star.’
Howard’s representatives have since told TMZ that, not only did CPS not take his child away, they didn’t even visit his home.
In police bodycam footage obtained by the Daily Mail from later on the same day – March 6 – Howard and Luciana can each be seen attempting to explain the situation to cops from either side of the entrance gate to the mansion.
In a lengthy chat, the now-former NBA star alleges that the mother of his 15-year-old daughter and Luciana have ‘teamed up’ in a bid to ‘destroy my kids and my reputation’.
In total, Howard has five children all from previous relationships: son Braylon, daughter Layla, daughter Jayde, son Dwight III (also known as Trey) and son David. He does not share any children with Luciani.
But Luciani’s stunning, and unproven, accusations that Howard had lost custody of one of his children shocked fans and didn’t prevent her from doubling down just days later.
In a video posted on social media, she spoke further on CPS allegedly taking custody of Howard’s daughter, while also alleging that he has been struggling with substance abuse.
Luciani said: ‘CPS, police have been here three times in less than three months, and I stood in it by my husband – even though I was scared for my own self.’
In the video, Luciani then pulled out a bag of what appeared to be a white substance and alleged that it was to blame for Howard’s issues.
The former Laker later responded via a statement on Snapchat, denying all drug allegations and stating he has ‘never done coke’ in his life.
In police bodycam footage obtained by the Daily Mail from March 6, Howard and Luciana can each be seen explaining the situation to cops from the entrance gate to the mansion
In a lengthy chat with police, the now-former NBA star alleged that the mother of his 15-year-old daughter and Luciana have ‘teamed up’ in a bid to ‘destroy my kids and my reputation’
A tearful Luciani also shared an emotional video on social media earlier this month, during which, she pulled out a bag of what appeared to be a white substance and alleged it was to blame for Howard’s issues. The former NBA star has denied all drug allegations.
On Wednesday, bodycam footage obtained by TMZ shows Luciani alleging that Howard pulled the plug on a reality TV show that would have earned them $1 million each by email without her knowing.
She claimed she had become financially dependent on Howard after he stopped her from appearing on a reality TV show – most likely the ‘Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’ show she starred in for four years – and he was allegedly using her reliance on him to control their relationship.
Days before her claims, Howard reportedly made a call to 911, alleging that Luciani had stolen a number of personal items – including his wedding ring, jewelry and phone. The Daily Mail has reached out to Luciani’s attorney for comment.
The dramatic events that unfolded have cast a shadow over his farewell to the NBA and it seems as though there is no end in sight, with legal issues set to continue.
With all of this considered, a celebrity divorce attorney has lifted the lid on the potential repercussions for the former Lakers star amid the wild allegations.
Sarah Luetto, a Matrimonial & Family Law Partner at Blank Rome who is not involved in the case, explained to the Daily Mail: ‘[Allegations of] illegal substance use is something that courts look at very seriously in regards to child welfare.
‘There is a presumption that it’s not in the child’s best interest to be with a parent who has substance abuse issues. You can seek primary custody from the other parent if there’s concerns about substance abuse.
‘I think it could have negative implications for his custodial arrangements with his other children, if they were living in a house with this sort of unrest,’ Luetto added if the allegations about drug use, which he has adamantly denied, were true.
And it seems that apparent unrest in the household is being raised in a custody proceeding.
Days before her claims, Howard reportedly made a call to 911, alleging that Luciani had stolen a number of personal items – including his wedding ring, jewelry and phone
The couple pictured publicly as recently as February 14th as the NBA All-Star Game
On Monday, Howard’s ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Render, asked a Georgia judge to grant her temporary custody of their daughter Layla, as reported by US Weekly.
Howard was previously awarded primary custody of their 15-year-old daughter back in 2024 following a lengthy legal battle.
However, as per the reports, in the new filings, Render alleges that their daughter is ’emotionally distressed’ about returning to Howard’s residence.
On Tuesday, March 17, the court reportedly denied Render’s emergency order.
‘There are neither allegations nor evidence qualifying as emergent,’ the response obtained by Us Weekly read. ‘Plaintiff failed to file the controlling custody order she seeks to modify.’
Howard’s team have since issued a response and insisted that the ‘whole thing is contrived’.
In a statement to TMZ, they said: ‘Tiffany was distressed [when] she lost custody of their daughter to Dwight. Tiffany has been working in conjunction with Amber to get negative publicity for Dwight.’
‘There’s nothing in the police report that should be cause for concern for Layla,’ the source added. The Daily Mail has attempted to contact Howard’s team for comment.
On Monday, Howard’s ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Render, asked a Georgia judge to grant her temporary custody of their daughter Layla. Her request was swiftly denied by a judge.
The two have had a fractured relationship since 2022 after Howard sought to reduce his monthly child support payments from $12,000 to $3,000. As per court documents, Render agreed to the deal in July 2023.
‘I was probably the only baby mama that was close to him and stayed his friend,’ she told In Touch in March 2025. ‘I thought that kept me safe. I felt safe.’
She added: ‘I was really upset with the decision.’
Howard’s team did issue a response at the time. They told the outlet: ‘While [Dwight] vehemently disputes the allegations made by [Tiffany] … he will not speak negatively about [Tiffany] publicly or otherwise, as it is his belief that the sanctity of Court Orders, as well as the integrity of the parties’ agreement to behave in a way that benefits their daughter, whom they both love immensely, should be paramount.’
His team continued, ‘While we understand that the world is inherently interested in [Dwight’s] personal life, I can assure you that he desires for his family to deal with these matters privately and surrounded by the truth rather than propaganda.
‘Thus, [Dwight] will preserve his arguments for the appropriate venue, and will refrain from further comment.’
Meanwhile, Howard was also previously involved in a feud with Melissa Rios, another woman with whom the former NBA star had a child with.
In 2020, Rios died following an epileptic seizure. Following her death, the spotlight was cast upon Howard and his family after reports claimed that their son had allegedly been living with relatives rather than with the basketball star.
However, an ESPN report at the time claimed that their son was ‘with Howard’ in Georgia and that the ex-NBA star ‘was planning to invite Rios… to spend time with him and their son’.
As Howard hangs up his jersey, his biggest battle isn’t against an opponent on the basketball court, but against his soon to be ex-wife in a judicial court and the storm of a marriage that has turned into a legal nightmare.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Howard’s and Luciani’s attorneys for comment.
