Dwight Howard at one point in time was one of the top big men in the NBA. However, his attitude towards the sport and his overall demeanor didn’t garner him many fans. One especially vocal Howard hater was none other than Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq has openly stated his dislike for Dwight.
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That being said, Big Diesel’s distaste for him was biased and primarily out of anger towards Howard‘s obvious attempts to copy him. However, back in 2018, Shaq’s hate would have been justified. As fans started lashing out at the former two-time DPOY, who was accused of threatening a transgender author.
Also Read: ‘Bully’ Shaquille O’Neal Shares Fake Dwight Howard Stats on IG to Revive Buried Feud With ‘Superman’
Dwight Howard was accused of threatening transgender author and supposed ex-Masin Elije
Over the years, Dwight Howard has received criticism for many things. Being lazy, not giving it his all, not being focused, and not working hard are just some of the things said about him. However, back in 2018, Howard was criticized for something outrageous.
The self-proclaimed Superman was accused of threatening transgender author, Masin Elije. Elije revealed this to the world on a Twitter thread where she called out Howard for harassing her, and even claimed him to be her ex-boyfriend.
I was afraid to speak but today my life was threatened after I was sexually harassed, threatened and manipulated, by someone I respected, my ex boyfriend NBA player Dwight Howard, and his camp also “”catfished”” by his disrespectful ass PASTOR pic.twitter.com/n1I1fwDcUw
— Masin Elijè (@MasinElije) November 25, 2018
The news shocked the world, and Howard received a ton of backlash. While the focus was on his se**al preferences, many also lashed out at the center for his actions and threatening behavior.
However, despite all the criticism, the big man stood firm in his stance. Going so far as to state that he had no idea who Elije was on national television.
Howard claimed to have had no idea and no contact with Masin Elije
Despite strong allegations from Masin Elije, Dwight Howard claims to not know who she is. The center who now plays basketball in Taiwan appeared on Kristine Leahy’s show Fair Game in 2019. It was here that he completely denied having met or made contact with Elije. Even suggesting that the whole story was made up.
“I’m not gay… It hurt at first to go through it. I sat at home and I was like ‘I never want to come outside again.'” @DwightHoward spoke on the allegations that he was gay.
(🎥: @FairGameonFS1 | @KristineLeahy) pic.twitter.com/WcXz2WtOfY
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 16, 2019
Since then, there has been little to no mention of the controversy. Nevertheless, fans cannot help but wonder just what exactly happened with Howard and why he never faced any consequences.
