Howard has recently become engaged to rapper Amy Luciani.
However, during this joyous occasion, Poyce Reed, the mother of Howard's eldest son Braylon, has been making numerous accusations against him online, including mental and physical abuse.
Reed recounted how she became involved with Howard in 2004 while working as a cheerleader for the Orlando Magic, leading to her pregnancy and subsequent dismissal.
After Reed became pregnant, Howard only agreed to pay for an abortion before leaving the situation.
Reed ultimately chose not to have an abortion and gave birth to their child in 2007. Howard initially refused to acknowledge the child but began visiting them in 2008.
During the time Howard and Reed were co-parenting, there were instances where he allegedly abused her verbally, physically, and mentally.
These are solely Reed's claims, and their veracity remains to be verified. It would be best to let the situation unfold before drawing conclusions.
As these allegations spread online, Howard's already poor reputation has worsened, potentially affecting the NBA as well, given his past status as a prominent member of the league.
In a recent podcast, Howard responded to the allegations, stating that he had been paying approximately 13,000permonthinchildsupportsinceBraylon′sbirth,stoppingonlylastyear,amountingtoabout2.65 million in total.
Howard also revealed that Reed used $200,000 in child support to open a dance studio instead of using it for the child's care. He earnestly hopes she will spend less time arguing and more on the child in the future.
Howard then shared his hardships, mentioning the significant expenses he incurs monthly for his children and the early hours he keeps to work and earn money.
It's undeniable that Howard might not be the best husband (or boyfriend), but he is undoubtedly a good father. There have been no rumors of him mistreating his children over the years, and at 39, he continues to seek a return to the NBA to provide a better life for them through basketball.
The power of words on the internet is immense. If Howard can appropriately manage his relationship with the woman involved, he could avoid many unnecessary troubles, which might also benefit his future standing in NBA history.
Perhaps off-court factors have already cost Howard his spot among the top 75 NBA stars, and he doesn't want his hard-earned NBA Hall of Fame candidacy to be revoked as well!