Exploring Dwight Howard and Royce Reed’s Complete Relationship Timeline

The relationship between Dwight Howard and Royce Reed had been anything but smooth sailing. The two dated. welcomed a son together, and eventually parted ways. But what followed has been over a decade of messy headlines, legal battles, and plenty of drama. In one of the latest twists, Reed created an Instagram account called “ihadababybysuperman,” sharing her side of the story in raw detail.

From their early days to how things soured, she intends to leave nothing off the table. So, what’s the full story behind their turbulent timeline? Let’s dive in.

Dwight Howard and Royce Reed’s relationship timeline

Howard and Reed’s story began around 2004. Reportedly, even before the basketball superstar played his first NBA game. Imagine this: a young D12, hanging out with friends, heads to watch a movie, and there’s Reed with her group of friends. No, sparks didn’t fly immediately, as Reed was already in a rocky relationship. As she later revealed in a 2024 Instagram video, trust issues were the breaking point in that relationship.

Enter Howard, who became a key figure in helping her move on during such a turbulent time. It wasn’t long before the two started dating, with the 3x DPOY even bringing Reed to events. But Reed didn’t let him have it easy. In an interview with Carlos King, she opened up about her initial attitude toward D12.

“When we see Dwight [Howard] and stuff again, he asked me for my number, so he got my number. For like the first month, I didn’t give him any real hope. Cause if he called me before 10 o’clock, I was like, ‘It’s too early,'” she shared.

And her reason? “I was just trying to make my [ex-boyfriend jealous] cause I thought we were getting back together. So when I realized we weren’t actually getting back together, I was like, ‘Let me start being me.'” It was following this chain of thought that Dwight Howard and Royce Reed became an official couple. The relationship, however, only lasted for about three years.

Yep, like many high-profile relationships, theirs came with challenges. Reed later revealed that it was Howard’s infidelity that marked the beginning of the end. Talking to Carlos King, she didn’t hold back, sharing how she discovered the betrayal.

“I had found out that he was cheating on me with a girl that I was on the team with. Some of my teammates knew so that caused a rift between me and some of my teammates. We’re all okay now, we just had our Heat reunion.”

It was easy to understand her frustration when she said, “I broke up with him. I wasn’t answering his calls. I was like, ‘Leave me alone, I hate you.'” But sometimes, letting go isn’t as easy as it sounds. After a trip to Acapulco, Mexico, Reed returned to find Howard urging for another chance.

A chance meeting led to Reed visiting his hotel, reigniting their relationship. This rekindling soon brought their son, Braylon Howard, into the world in 2007, adding a bittersweet note to their complicated history, as it was just a few months after Braylon’s birth that the couple parted ways. Their story, however, was far from over.

Howard vs Reed: The legal attacks from both ends

The legal saga between NBA star Dwight Howard and his ex-girlfriend Royce Reed is one of the most dramatic chapters in the off-court life of an athlete. It was in 2010 that Reed filed a motion in Florida, asking the court to assign someone to supervise D12 during his visitation with their son.

The situation arose after their son reportedly acted out when Howard’s nanny came to pick him up for visitation. This reaction was enough for Reed to take legal action. At the time, the 3x DPOY chose to stay silent publicly. But Reed went further by petitioning the court to have him cover the costs of the court-appointed guardian.

Then, things took a dramatic turn as D12 filed a $500 million lawsuit against Reed, accusing her of violating a gag order from their 2009 court settlement. According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Howard claimed Reed had leaked damaging stories about him to the media on at least 11 occasions. These leaks, he argued, had reached over a million people online and caused him significant harm.

Howard and his legal team believed the breach warranted $500,500,000 in damages—an eye-popping amount that reflected the fallout from their agreement. Eventually, the two settled the case outside of court, with Reed agreeing to pay $500,000. But the drama didn’t end there. By 2011, Dwight Howard alleged Reed still owed him $551,606.74, including interest.

This could have been the reason that even after more than a decade of everything that transpired, Reed made an Instagram account by the name of “ihadababybysuperman”, to specifically target the 3x DPOY.

In her first post itself, she fired back, writing, “… You sue me, you get dust! You tried to drown me in attorney fees to keep quiet…” With this account, Reed has claimed to reveal the entire story of how her life changed for the worse in around 20 years, ever since her first interaction with D12 in 2004.