Dwight Howard has been out of the NBA since the 2021-22 season, but his name resurfaced over the weekend after rapper and reality personality Amy Luciani publicly accused him of drug addiction and of coaching his 12-year-old child to lie to authorities.
According to Luciani, the situation reportedly led to Child Protective Services removing their stepdaughter from the home, and in Instagram videos posted Saturday, she claimed Howard’s behavior put the children at risk.
Luciani did not publicly identify the minor children mentioned in her allegations.
Howard, however, is known to have five children with different mothers, born between 2007 and 2013.
His eldest son, Braylon Howard, was born Nov. 18, 2007, to Royce Reed, a former Orlando Magic cheerleader; the two have had custody disputes in the past, though Braylon reportedly remains close with his father despite primarily living with his mother.
Layla Howard, born in October 2010, is his daughter with Tiffany Render, and Howard holds secondary custody rights following a 2023 agreement that granted primary custody to her mother.
Jayde Howard, born Dec. 29, 2010, shares a mother in fitness model Hope Alexa, and she has occasionally been seen supporting her father at events.
Howard’s son Dwight “Trey” Howard III was born June 13, 2013, with mother Christine Vest, and his age is closest to the unnamed child referenced by Luciani.
His youngest son, David Howard, was born Dec. 15, 2013, to Melissa Rios, a real estate agent who died in 2020 following an epileptic seizure.
Amy Luciani’s Allegations vs. Dwight Howard
Amy Luciani recounted how Child Protective Services and police allegedly visited their home three times in less than two months, with the final visit resulting in their daughter being taken away.
She alleged that Howard asked her to provide an alibi — which she refused — and instead instructed his 12-year-old son to fabricate a story blaming her.
Luciani showed how the son expressed guilt while acknowledging his father coached him to lie.
In 2025, Luciani filed for divorce after six months of marriage. She had also sought a protective order, alleging that Howard spiked her drink with Molly disguised as tea, causing severe illness.
The protective order was eventually dropped.
