Dwight Howard reveals his agent’s deceit behind $7 million Atlanta Dream ownership deal
Dwight Howard, in his podcast “Above the Rim with DH 12,” said that the most money stolen from him was a cool $7 million. The guests in his show, including former NBA player Joe Smith, couldn’t believe what they heard. Howard added that it was money he intended to use to buy the Atlanta Dream, a WNBA team.
The 2020 NBA champ opened up about giving that amount to his agent to become the owner of the Dream. As the eight-time All-Star was still with the LA Lakers, he couldn’t outrightly own the franchise. He wanted to “be behind the scenes making all the decisions and stuff like that.”
Instead, Dwight Howard found out the Atlanta Dream was purchased by a group led by Larry Gottesdiner, the chairman of Northland, a real estate company. Howard had this to say when he called his agent to clarify the situation (12:00 mark):
“He kept saying, ‘Man, they won’t call me back now. I can’t get in contact with them.’ I was like, ‘Man, you’re lying. What’s going on?’
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“I really trusted this agent because he was my agent, so he had a duty to tell the truth and be honest with me. But these agents, these lawyers, all these people – they be scheming, they be lying, and they all have the same motive: to take from you.”
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An Atlanta, Georgia, native, Dwight Howard wanted to buy the Atlanta Dream to please his mother. She already had season tickets, so letting her know he was the team’s owner would have been a big surprise. Howard also intended to purchase the franchise to take care of her daughters who play basketball.
Howard’s agent is facing felony charges for embezzling the former NBA star for the said money. After failing in his bid to acquire the Dream, he went to play in Taiwan and became a minority owner of the Taiwan Mustangs.
Dwight Howard struggled with his “mental” when he knew he was defrauded of $7 million
Dwight Howard, per Spotrac, earned $245.1 million during his 18-year career in the NBA. Howard explained that the figures the press used were not entirely accurate. The big man emphasized how taxes and fees to lawyers and agents took a big chunk of the amount.
Howard had this to say when $7 million of his hard-earned money was stolen from him (9:55 mark):
“That one hurt. … My mental was I wanted to find him and beat the hell out of him! I wanted to k*ll him.”
Fortunately, Dwight Howard allowed justice to take its course. He’s waiting for compensation as the agent’s embezzlement case is ongoing.
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