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Over the last few weeks, Dwight Howard has found himself in the middle of an ugly lawsuit. The former NBA player is being accused of sexual assault from an incident that happened in 2021.
As Howard attempts to defend his case, his reputation continues to take a hit. Whichever way this plays out, it's going to impact multiple areas of his life, one of them being his shot at getting one more run in the NBA. The former champion has expressed interest over the last year, but nothing has come to fruition.
At 37, Howard is in the twilight of his career, but it seems unlikely that he will get one last run before hanging up. With all the off-court drama surrounding him, no team is going to take that on for a veteran at the end of his career.
Some feel that the incident has already cost Howard an opportunity in the NBA. Stephen A. Smith said on his podcast that this case could be something that stops teams from offering him a contract.
"It is not beyond the realm of comprehension that a team was looking into bringing Dwight Howard on board, and then found out through their investigative process, because they investigate everything that he had this court situation coming down the pipe," Smith said.
It's worth noting that Howard worked out for the Golden State Warriors before the start of the year, but they ended up not signing him. The former Defensive Player of the Year last played in the league as a member of the LA Lakers in 2022.
What's next for Dwight Howard?
With his NBA career likely over, Dwight Howard has to start looking at the next chapter in his life. A few years ago, he had given a glimpse into something he could be pursuing.
Howard bought a 700 farm in Georgia, where he's from. He posted on Instagram that his goal is to dive into the world of agriculture and help promote clean eating. The former No.1 pick also wants to grow food that can help feed families.
Howard ran into some legal trouble with his farm as well, but the case recently got dropped.
A woman was suing him for damages after getting into a car accident near the property. She hit one of his cows after it had strayed off the farm and on to a public road. The two sides ended up working out a deal behind close doors to get the lawsuit dropped.
