Dwight Howard wasn’t shy from controversies during his career. One of those that was covered by the press the most was dealing with him being or not being gay.
A few months ago, former Orlando Magic player was sued by Masin Elije for assault, infliction, and emotional distress. If you didn’t know, Elije, journalist and author, is openly gay. Masine claims that he and Lakers center were in a relationship. After the alleged relationship ended, Howard reportedly asked Elije to sign a non-disclosure agreement under life threats.
Howard responded to these reports by filing a counterclaim and a settlement worth $10 million. Ex Houston Rocket states that he does not know Elije personally and that the only reason he is part of his story is publicity for Masin’s book.
Dwight claims that he was hurt by pure hate he received from people after this story became public. Now he wants to clear his name and is openly discussing the situation. Howard is not sure why would someone who he doesn’t know made all of this up. One of the most dominant centers of his generation was baffled at the magnitude of hate he received from people he even didn’t know.
Thanks to all of this, Howard came to a realization of what kind of person he is. He claims that this situation prompted him to want to be free above all other things. Despite the massive amount of hate, Lakers start realized that he’s not the person all those people believe him to be. He came to the conclusion that the best way to exit this uncomfortable situation is to be himself and be free.
Regardless of claims of him being gay put him in a bad place, he voiced full support for the LGBT community even if he’s not part of it. Not only that, but he also gave support for people with mental illnesses and other issues of the same sort and urged them not to hide but confront their problems.
It’s what he did, and it helped him a lot. It’s important to be yourself, and Dwight Howard knows this now.
Nicola Holder