Dwight Howard admitted to having sex with man who accused him of assault
Jan 15, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) arrives at Toyota Center before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
A man filed a lawsuit against Dwight Howard several months ago claiming the former NBA star sexually assaulted him, and Howard has denied the allegations. Howard did, however, admit to engaging in consensual sex acts with the accuser.
According to court documents that were obtained by Radar Online, a man named Stephen Harper claimed he sent his cell phone number to Howard via a direct message on Instagram in May 2021. Howard allegedly texted the number and told Harper he is into “freaky” stuff. Harper says Howard also asked for explicit photos.
In his official response, Howard admitted that he and Harper exchanged text messages — “several of which included sexually explicit content, such as photographs and videos” — between May 2021 and July 2021. Howard also admitted to having an in-person encounter with Harper but shared a different account of what took place.
In his lawsuit, Harper claimed he went over to Howard’s house and that Howard surprised him by introducing a man named “Kitty.” Harper said Howard had asked Harper about a threesome in text messages but that Harper resisted. Harper said Howard and “Kitty” then began engaging in sexual acts, but Harper was uncomfortable and did not want to participate.
At that point, Harper claims Howard touched Harper’s penis without consent and began performing a sex act on him.
“Defendant stood up (towering over Mr. Harper), grabbed Mr. Harper by the thighs, forcibly removed Mr. Harper’s underwear, held Mr. Harper down, and performed nonconsensual oral sex on Mr. Harper,” the lawsuit states. “Mr. Harper was in fear of imminent bodily harm when he was pinned down and forced to remain in place while Defendant continued to sexually assault him.”
Harper says Howard then stopped when he realized Harper was not enjoying it. The lawsuit accuses Howard of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment.
Howard admitted in his response that he touched both Harper and “Kitty” but that “the three agreed to touch one another and to engage in consensual sexual activity.” Howard has demanded that the lawsuit be dismissed.
The 37-year-old Howard played for the Taoyuan Leopards of Taiwan’s T1 League last year. He recently drew interest from one NBA contender.
Howard’s last NBA season was with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22. He averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while playing just 16.2 minutes per game.
