Dwight Howard was previously in a relationship with former NBA cheerleader Royce Reed. This relationship occurred during his time in Orlando. However, things got worse after Reed began trashing Howard on social media and various other platforms. He filed a defamation lawsuit which was ruled in favor of him. Royce was asked to pay a legal fine of $500 every time she slandered him in public.
However, the cheerleader-turned-television star countered this defamation case by accusing the ex-NBA star of child neglect. She claimed that Howard used to hit their son, Braylon with a belt. This was also around the time they were both involved in a battle for Braylon’s custody. Howard admitted that he hit their child to discipline him. He said he didn’t realize that he was wrong and the court did not charge him over the accusations.
But Royce has not stopped speaking out against the 3x NBA Defensive Player of the Year. She had publicly voiced her concerns regarding his other children. Reed slammed Dwight Howard for uploading a video of him forcing his 9-year-old son to work out. She also mentioned that he did not let his deceased ex-partner’s mother visit one of his children. Howard also allegedly gave his parents custody over the child before he migrated to Taiwan for basketball.
Royce Reed faced child neglect charges after Braylon violated court order
If you aren’t aware of what happened, Braylon was involved in a molestation case in 2021. The ex-NBA star’s son used to hang out with Royce’s boyfriend’s son as they resided in the same locality at the time. However, Braylon eventually told his mother that he made her boyfriend’s son touch his privates as he was angry at the child. Braylon and the unnamed child used to live together at Royce’s residence when the incident took place.
After investigators spoke to Braylon, he claimed that anger always made him act out in a se*ual manner. He admitted that the incident happened on two different occasions at the house. The court ordered Royce to keep her son away from children younger than him by two years. And this restriction also meant that he had to stay away from her boyfriend’s son as well.
However, Braylon still decided to hang out with the same child despite being ordered not to. He allegedly informed his mother, who in turn told his therapist at TrueCore Behavioral Solutions. The therapist did her due diligence by forwarding this information to the DCF.
Royce Reed was charged with third-degree felony child neglect. However, she did confirm that she wasn’t arrested and that she turned herself in, via social media. Dwight Howard has failed to comment on this situation.