Source: Jonathan Daniel / Getty
It seemed that for some time, Dwight Howard was intent on pretending the allegations of him being an absentee father just didn’t exist. But apparently, after radio host Nina Brown, of the Frank Ski Radio Show, questioned Howard’s involvement in his children’s lives, he felt the need to step forward and clear his name.
Howard called Nina Brown personally to share his side of the story, after Brown apologized for the comments she made about his parenting.
On the radio, Howard said:
“I’m not the person to get online or go through the media and bash anybody. The only thing I will address is the issue of anybody thinking I’m a deadbeat father. Currently, I have a child with me now. My son lives with me. There’s no way I could be a deadbeat dad if I have a son that lives with me. The situation with my other son, it’s unfortunate that a lot of things have been made public.
But even before this season started back up, he lived with me for three months. He stayed in my house, we woke up every morning, we worked out together, we ran together, we ate together. We did everything together. I followed me around the whole house. It was the most time me and have spent like that…
A lot of things that are being said, I hate that it’s our own people making it seem as though I’m somebody that I’m not. I’ve always been a great father. Is there areas of improvement? Of course, just like there is in life, with basketball , in anything that I do. I’ve never been that type of person. I lost one of my son’s mom–passed away earlier this year. I was given the responsibility to have my son with me full time. And he really has changed my life. He was one of the biggest reasons why I was able to go out there and help this team win the championship. There’s no way I could be this person that people say I am.”
When why the mothers of his children had so many negative things to say about his parenting skills, Howard said:
“My only concern is that our kids get both parents in their life… I would never air out any dirty laundry of my kids’ moms or reasons why they’re upset. Being upset is not going to help any situation when you allow your emotions to get the best of you.
When asked if Howard had reached out to this son Braylon who claimed that he hated his father, Howard said this:
“Unfortunately, I haven’t. It’s a lot of things that are going on, but it’s personal. I’d rather keep that side out.”
When asked if there was anything he’d like to say to Braylon or his mother, Howard said:
“No matter what is going on, I love my son. I would never disrespect his mom. One day, we’ll be able to get past this toxicity and realize that we’re living in a day now where they’re kill off a lot of our Black men. And I don’t want anything to ever happen to my son. He’s too precious. His voice is great. He has a great mind. He’s spiritually inclined and I don’t want none of his life being taken away by toxic behavior from anybody. I love him to death, he knows that. He’ll always know that. Braylon has had the best life he can possibly have. He’s gone to the best schools. I’ve been a provider for him. Anything that he’s ever needed or wanted, he’s always had. And I would never put him in a position like that. He is my firstborn son. He has my name and I will always take care of him. But I think it’s going to turn out great for all of us. We just have to be able to change our mindset, how we speak, how we act and how we treat each other. So instead of me responding out of hate, I’m going to keep responding out of love. It’s too much hate and negativity.”
You can listen to Howard’s full interview in the video below.
