"This boils my blood": Dwight Howard's wife Amy Luciani launches passionate defense against absent fatherhood accusations

In late 2024, former three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard got engaged to a rapper known as Amy Luciani. The news came amid Howard being in the headlines for several controversies.

Several months prior, Howard was accused of sexually assaulting a man in a suit that was dropped.

Now, Howard's new wife, Amy Luciani, is defending him as a father in a post on Instagram..

In response to a comment that asked when Dwight Howard actually spent time with his kids, the wife of the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year posted a montage of images on Instagram. It was along with a lengthy caption that read, in part:

"You mean these kids that just went to Thailand with us in January? Or the kids that live with him full custody whom he gets up EVERY DAY 6am and drops off to Highschool then 8am elementary school drop off? Or the kids on stage having fun that we flew to Cali for Dancing With The Stars ?

"Or the kids in the video from this week bowling ? These same 3/5 kids that we just took to the escape room ? Or maybe the kids who he takes to volleyball and basketball practice 4x a week and sits in every practice and every game ?? The kids we just went out of town with on Thanksgiving?"

When legendary boxer Claressa Shields weighed in, joining Luciani's side, she explained in a reply that those criticizing Howard make her blood boil.

"sisssss you know personally I be sitting on my hands stopping myself from defending him but the whole absent Dad thing is the oneeeeee that boils my blood."

Amy Luciani (@amylucianiworld) - Instagram

Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony named as finalists for this year's basketball Hall of Fame class

After having the Hall of Fame eligibility period shortened to just two years post-retirement, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are now finalists for the Class of 2025.

Howard had held out hope that he would be able to make a return to the NBA last season and had a tryout with the Golden State Warriors that lasted several days. However, a return never materialized.

Given that his last year in the league was the 2021-22 season, he, along with Anthony, are now eligible for the Hall of Fame. The pair, along with several other notable names from the WNBA like Sue Bird and Maya Moore, are all finalists for the Class of 2025.

The class will be inducted in September. The expectation is that Dwight Howard, as a former NBA champ, eight-time All-Star, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the time comes.

Below, you can see the full list of finalists for the Class of 2025:

• Carmelo Anthony
• Dwight Howard
• Marques Johnson
• Buck Williams
• Sue Bird
• Maya Moore
• Sylvia Fowles
• Jennifer Azzi
• Molly Bolin
• Billy Donovan
• Mark Few
• Jerry Welsh
• Dusan Ivkovic
• Danny Crawford
• Micky Arison
• Tal Brody
• The Redeem Team, 2008 US Men's Olympic Team