Ex-NBA Star Dwight Howard Denies GA Sexual Assault Allegations: Report

GEORGIA — Former NBA star and Atlanta native Dwight Howard, 37, is denying any allegations against him that he sexually assaulted a man he claimed he had "consensual sexual activity" with in July 2021 in Georgia, ESPN reported Wednesday.

A civil lawsuit was filed against Howard in July of this year, accusing the former center of the battery and the sexual assault of a man in Howard's Georgia home. Citing court documents, ESPN reported Howard denied causing any injury to the man.

"(The man's) complaint also accused Howard of 'intentional infliction of emotional distress' and false imprisonment. Howard's response denied those allegations," ESPN reported.

Both ESPN and the Bleacher Report said Howard is requesting the dismissal of the lawsuit.

The outlets reported the man attempted to file a complaint with police in July 2022 though no charges were filed in the case.

The two men met on Instagram, where they began privately messaging each other, according to the Bleacher Report.

"What was a private consensual encounter was made public for profit and Mr. Howard looks forward to bringing the truth to light in a court of law," one of Howard's attorneys, Justin Bailey, told ESPN. "The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth. The truth is Mr. Howard blocked Mr. Harper on social media and then was confronted with two options -- pay to protect his reputation or have a fabricated story made public. Despite being an easy target due to the subject matter and his status as a celebrity, Mr. Howard chose to trust in the justice system and will rely on all future court filings to speak for themselves."

Prior to retirement, Howard played for multiple teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks.

He achieved ALL-NBA 2nd Team, All-NBA 1st team five times and multiple other accolades. Howard was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and secured All-Rookie 1st Team.

Read more via ESPN and the Bleacher Report.