Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard Becomes a Father with Royce Reed

Dwight Howard, the former first round draft pick of the Orlando Magic affectionately known as "Man Child", is enjoying a monster year on the basketball court. It is the kind of year that may net him the NBA's MVP award, if Howard is able to continue the pace he is on, a pace which has seen him average 22.4 points,15.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks a game. For the first time in his career, Dwight is also leading all Eastern Conference centers in the balloting for the 2007-08 All-Star game. Along with all the accolades he is getting this season,

Dwight Howard has recently added the title of "father." A fact that he revealed to sports writers recently.Though excited about this latest twist to his life, Howard still prefers to keep most details from his personal life out of the limelight, and who could blame him?

Still, as a high profile sports figure, Dwight has to know that despite his best efforts, news of the birth of his son is sure to make its way to his fans and to the public in general. According to public records, Howard's son, Braylon Joshua Robert Howard, was born on Nov 18, 2007 at Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando. The child's mother, Royce Reed is a former NBA dancer for both the Orlando Magic (2005-06), and the Miami Heat (2006-07).

Though there is no reason to believe that this latest addition to the life of one of the NBA's best player will be anything but a happy one, it may be noted that in the past not all NBAers have fared well in the area of fatherhood. Perhaps due to the pressures of the game, the travel, or the celebrity status that they must endure, there have been multiple examples where players have been less than ideal fathers. Legendary NBAer Larry Bird for one has been reported to have an estranged relationship with the daughter from his first marriage, while fellow Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy fathered 14 illegitimate children by 9 different women.