Dwight Howard Net Worth

What is Dwight Howard's Net Worth and Salary?

Dwight Howard is an American professional basketball player who has a net worth of $120 million. During his NBA career, Dwight Howard earned approximately $247 million in salary alone and an estimated $100 million more from endorsements. At his peak, he made over $30 million per year.

Dwight Howard entered the NBA directly from high school in 2004 and was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. He made an immediate impact, becoming the youngest player to average a double-double for an entire season. His dominance peaked during his years in Orlando, where he led the league in rebounds five times, won three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards (2009–2011), and guided the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009.

Over an 18-season NBA career, Howard was named to eight All-Star teams and earned eight All-NBA selections. He won the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest and led the league in blocked shots twice. He played for multiple teams, including the Lakers, Rockets, Hornets, Hawks, Wizards, and 76ers. In 2020, he won his first and only NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers during the league's pandemic "bubble" season.

After the 2021–22 NBA season, Howard signed with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan's T1 League, where he earned MVP honors and was selected as an All-Star in 2023. In 2025, he was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee and the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.

With career averages of 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game over 1,242 games, Dwight Howard ranks among the greatest rebounders and shot blockers in NBA history and is widely considered one of the most dominant centers of his generation.

Contracts, Salary and Career Earnings

During his NBA career, Dwight Howard earned approximately $247 million in salary alone and an estimated $100 million more from endorsements. At his peak, he made over $30 million per year. In 2013, he declined a five-year, $118 million offer from the Lakers to sign with the Houston Rockets. Three years later, he rejected a $23 million extension with Houston and instead signed a three-year, $70 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks. In 2019, he accepted a unique pay-per-day deal with the Lakers after a $2.6 million buyout, reflecting his willingness to adapt late in his career.

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Early Life

Dwight Howard was born on December 8th, 1985, in Atlanta, Georgia. Both of his parents are intimately involved in basketball in some way or another. Raised as a devout Christian, Dwight was an avid basketball player from an early age. During his high school years, he played as a power forward and amassed an impressive record. Eventually, he was recognized as the best high school basketball player in the country, and he seemed destined for a career in the NBA.

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NBA Career

Because Howard was such a promising young star during his high school years, he skipped college and went straight to the NBA. He was selected by the Orlando Magic in 2004 and joined a squad that was badly in need of inspiration. Howard was exactly what they had been looking for, and he rarely missed a game during his debut season. At the end of the year, he made the All-Rookie Team.

Dwight improved in his second season, packing on an extra 20 pounds of muscle and becoming a more dominant force on the court. However, the Magic struggled and failed to make the playoffs. However, he became the de facto leader of the Magic next season and led them to the playoffs, although they were easily demolished by Detroit in the first round.

In 2008, Howard won the slam dunk contest and met the Detroit Pistons once again in the second round of the playoffs. The Magic were defeated for a second time. In the 2008-2009 season, Howard injured his knee and had to miss a game for the first time, having previously played over 350 consecutive games since the start of his NBA career. When he returned, the Magic had one of their most promising seasons in years, reaching the NBA Finals – only to lose to the Lakers.

Dwight continued to improve over the next few seasons, setting numerous personal records and becoming a more integral part of the Magic. During the 2011-2012 season, Howard had reached the end of his patience with the team, however, and he demanded a trade. He publicly stated that he didn't think Orlando had what it took to be a legitimate title contender. Despite this, he eventually committed to another season before circumstances changed, and he was traded to the Lakers.

When he joined the Lakers, Dwight was still recovering from a nasty back injury, forcing him to take it slow. This became a strong theme throughout his time with the Lakers, and he continued to exhibit a sense of hesitance throughout his play. Eventually, he was booed by fans and became a free agent in 2013. That year, he signed with the Houston Rockets.

During his career with the Rockets, Dwight teamed up well with James Harden. In his first season at Houston, Howard was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The next season, his injury troubles started again, and he missed a month of games because of knee issues.

In 2016, he decided to move again – this time to the Atlanta Hawks. He spent one season there before moving to the Charlotte Hornets. Once again, this would prove to last only one season, and in 2018, he found himself playing for the Wizards. In 2019, he rejoined the LA Lakers and played during the 2019-2020 season.

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Relationships

Dwight Howard has had five different children with five different women. In 2010, he brought forward a defamation suit against one of his children's mothers, Royce Reed. It was determined that Reed had violated a court order document that prohibited her from mentioning Howard in the media.

Not only did she make disparaging comments about Dwight on Twitter, but she also made her relationship with him widely known after appearing on the reality TV show Basketball Wives. As a result, Reed was fined $500 for each time she mentioned Howard in public.

Further trouble came in 2014 when child abuse allegations were leveled against Howard. An investigation determined that Dwight had beaten his son with a belt. He later claimed that he wasn't aware that this was wrong since that was how he was disciplined as a child. Eventually, all charges against Howard were dropped.

Real Estate

In 2016, he purchased a sprawling 14-acre estate in Suwanee, Georgia, for $8.8 million. The 32,000-square-foot mansion features 10 bedrooms, 21 bathrooms, multiple kitchens, a private theater, and a basketball court. He listed the property for $11.25 million in 2025. Also in 2025, Howard listed his 11,000-square-foot Gothic-inspired estate in Longwood, Florida—originally purchased in 2008 for $7.8 million—for just $4.9 million. In Washington, D.C., he owned a 10,000-square-foot penthouse in a converted schoolhouse, which he bought in 2018 for $2.3 million and sold in 2020 for around $2 million. In addition to these high-end properties, Howard owns a private farm north of Atlanta, complete with livestock and gardens.

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