NBA Hall of Famer and former Lakers champion, Dwight Howard, is in the news right now following the release of police body cam footage. The video, obtained and shared by TMZ, shows a heated argument between Dwight and his estranged wife, Amber Howard (Amy Luciani), at their Georgia mansion.
Earlier this month, the initial 911 call was released to the public, but this video shows the entire story. It begins with the officers getting some general information on the scene. They approach Amber, who is at the front gates of the house, where she tells them the situation.
“My husband, whenever he gets upset, locks me out of the gate. Last night, he lost custody of his daughter,” Amy said. “Not my daughter, but he and the daughter’s mom have been in a two-year custody battle. He wants custody, but she just won it back. You guys were here last night, and you took the daughter. He was upset, going ballistic, and I did not feel comfortable. He left out, I left out. When I came back, [he locked me out].”
It appears that Dwight recently lost custody of his daughter after a two-year court battle. It was from that ruling that his emotions ran out of control, to the point where Amber felt uncomfortable in her own home. She goes on to speak of her history with Dwight, recounting multiple instances of being locked out. Eventually, Dwight himself shows up to offer his perspective to the police.
“My daughter’s mom, for the last year, has been trying to get her daughter,” Dwight added.” They have teamed up because they’re upset about money. They want to destroy my kids and my reputation. I’m going to officially retire from basketball, and I was having a ceremony in a couple of days, it’s supposed to be tomorrow, and she knows it. So if she can do anything to stop my stuff, she’s gonna do it. Last night, I asked my pops ‘Can you do something about her being here, please? Because she’s gonna keep antagonizing me.’ I know the rules, I know what’s going on, and I’m cool with that, but this is my place.”
According to Dwight, his wife has been acting “wild” over the past few months. Dwight reports that she was putting on an act for money when they first met, but that the mask has since fallen off.
He went on to tell the police that she’s been acting “berserk” since the turn of the year, citing that one of his dogs died under her watch and that his son feels unsafe being around her. At the end of the clip, Dwight even denies that Amber was locked out of the house. He claims that it was all an act to “antagonize” him and pleaded with the officers to help keep her away. Fortunately, none of it got in the way of Howard’s retirement ceremony, which gave his career a fitting ending.
We don’t know what happened after that altercation, but we know it’s not the first time they’ve had to involve authorities in a fight. Police have been called countless times to settle disputes, and it seems that things have been toxic for some time now. As for what comes next, we can only hope for a peaceful divorce, but something says that road has already passed.
