Joshua Jay Howard (born April 28, 1980) is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the UNT Dallas Trailblazers men's basketball team. He played college basketball for the

Wake Forest Demon Deacons The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a mem ...

. He played 10 seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA), predominantly with the Dallas Mavericks.

High school career

Howard attended Glenn High School in

Kernersville, North Carolina Kernersville is a town in Forsyth County and the largest suburb of Winston-Salem. The town is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. A small portion of the town is also in Guilford County. The population was 26,481 at the 2020 census, u ...

, where he was a First-Team All-State selection in his senior year and averaged six blocks per game while shooting 70%. He also averaged a double-double during his junior and senior years, during which time he also received the Frank Spencer Award (for the top player in Northwest North Carolina) twice. During his senior year Howard was handcuffed outside of a BP gas station the night before his

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

examination. Howard had been loitering on the premises with some of his friends, and undercover cops, believing the teenagers had been selling drugs, detained them. In order to get into

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

Howard needed an SAT score of at least 950. He did not get a 950, saying his score was "somewhere in the 500s". In lieu, he spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia, where he averaged a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

, with 19.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Howard led Hargrave to a 27–3 record, shooting well on the floor with 56%. He also averaged 44% from behind the three-point line and 85% from the

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

line. Howard participated in the ACC– SEC game between new signings from the two conferences. Howard scored 14 points in 15 minutes to help lift the ACC team to a 145–115 win over the SEC.

College career

Howard chose to sign with Wake Forest in 1999 over many other colleges due to the proximity of the campus to his family and friends. He majored in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

and minored in international studies. During his first year, Howard played in all thirty-six games, starting in all but two. He led the team with 44 steals and ranked fourth on the team with 9.1 points per game. His season high came in a game against

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

during an ACC tournament. Howard scored 19 points, going 7-for-10 from the field and 2-for-2 from behind the three-point line. During his sophomore season Howard was selected to second-team All-ACC. He missed a few games because of the

flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

, playing in 29 games and starting 28. He led the team in scoring that year with 13.6 points per game. Howard earned third-team All-ACC and second team NABC All-District while trailing

Darius Songaila Darius Songaila (born February 14, 1978) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He serves as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has represented the Lithuania na ...

in team scoring with 13.9 points per game during his junior season. Deciding to come back for his senior year at Wake Forest, Howard became the first member of his family to graduate from college. He was the unanimous selection as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) player of the year in 2003 (first since David Thompson in 1975) and led Wake Forest to its first outright regular season league championship in 41 years. He is the second ACC player (after Shane Battier) to amass 1000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals, 100 blocks, and 100 three-pointers. Howard was named the national player of the year by FOX, ''College Insider'' and ''Basketball Digest''. He was also a finalist for the

John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

and the James Naismith Award in 2003. In his senior season, Howard averaged 19.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, and 1.5 bpg, and won multiple awards, including ACC Player of the Year, All ACC First Team, ACC All-Defensive Team, and AP First Team All-America. Coming into the league, Howard was projected as a mid to late 1st round pick in the 2003 NBA Draft because of his apparent lack of upside.

Professional career

Dallas Mavericks (2003–2010)

Howard was selected in the 2003 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round (29th overall). He played in 67 games (29 starts) during his rookie year, averaging 8.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game earning him NBA All-Rookie 2nd team honors. In his second season, Howard continued coming off the bench and tasked to do "mop-up minutes" until a nagging injury to Marquis Daniels gave Howard a spot at small forward in the starting lineup. Howard averaged 12.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.53 steals in 32 minutes of play for the season. In the 2005–06 season, Howard averaged a career-high in scoring (15.6 points) and three-point field goal percentage (.429), in addition to tallying 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He was limited to 59 games due to injury. In the

2006 NBA playoffs The 2006 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Dallas Maveric ...

, Howard was vital to the Mavs' run to the Finals to the point where the team was 23–0 when Howard scored more than 20 points a game. In game 5 of the

2006 NBA Finals The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005–06 NBA season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks were favored to win the championship over the Miami Heat. Despite these odds, the Heat won the title in ...

against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

, it was asserted by referees that Howard called for a timeout during Dwyane Wade's free throw attempts, which only allowed Dallas to inbound the ball at full court instead of setting up for a play at half court. Howard asserted that in fact no timeout was called and that even referee Joey Crawford agreed with him. After Dwyane Wade hit his second foul shot to put the

up by one point, Dallas was unable to advance the ball to halfcourt for an attempt at a game-winning shot. Early in 2006,

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

director

Jerry Colangelo Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939) is an American businessman and sports executive. He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Ari ...

invited Howard to serve as one of Team USA's possible defensive specialists (the other two being Shane Battier of the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

and

Bruce Bowen Bruce Eric Bowen Jr. (born June 14, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. Bowen played small forward and graduated from Edison High School and Cal State Fullerton. He went on to play for the National Basketball Association' ...

of the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

) in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Howard turned down the offer, instead going back to run his annual youth camp in his hometown of

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

. During the 2006–07 season, Howard missed 2 games (

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

at Dallas, and Dallas at

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

). His 18.9 points per game combined with 6.8 rebounds a game helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to a season-best 67–15 record; however, he was left out of All-Star weekend at first. After injuries to Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer, Howard was offered the extra spot. Hall of Famer Magic Johnson commented on Howard's omission at first, saying "I've got a problem with it, I really do". Johnson also went on to say "Josh Howard should be an All-Star. Period." On December 8, 2007, Howard scored a career high 47 points against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. In April 2008, hours before Game 3 of the Mavericks' first-round series with the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, Howard told

Michael Irvin Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is an American sports commentator and former professional football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). In 2007, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fa ...

in an interview on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM that he smoked marijuana in the offseason, and that while he would not smoke during the season even if the NBA did not conduct random testing, he did not "think that's stopping me from doing my job." He called his marijuana use "my personal choice". He had previously discussed his marijuana use and its possible link to him slipping to the 29th pick in

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

with '' TrueHoop'' blogger Henry Abbot.

Washington Wizards (2010–2011)

On February 13, 2010, Howard was traded to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

along with Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross for

Caron Butler James Caron Butler (born March 13, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During a 14-year career he played for the Miami ...

Brendan Haywood Brendan Todd Haywood (born November 27, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Following his playing ...

, and

DeShawn Stevenson DeShawn Stevenson (born April 3, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Stevenson played for six teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during a 13-year career. He originally committed to play at the University of ...

. On March 16, 2010, Howard underwent surgery after tearing his ACL against the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

on February 22. Howard was expected to miss 6 to 8 months.

Utah Jazz (2011–2012)

On December 15, 2011, Howard agreed to a one-year contract worth around $3 million with the

Minnesota Timberwolves (2012)

On November 15, 2012, Howard signed a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. He was waived on December 20, 2012, after suffering a torn ACL on December 14, 2012. That game where Howard suffered the ACL tear ended up being the final game of his NBA career. Howard recorded 3 points and 2 rebounds in the Timberwolves' 113 - 102 victory over the

Austin Toros (2013–2014)

On October 25, 2013, Howard signed with the

. However, he was waived just a day later. On October 31, Howard was acquired by the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League, the Spurs' D-League affiliate. On February 27, 2014, he was waived by the Toros due to a season-ending injury. In July 2014, Howard joined the New Orleans Pelicans for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

Coaching career

In July 2016, Howard was hired by Piedmont International University to be their new head coach. He led the team to a 49-49 record in four seasons. In April 2020, he was hired as the head coach of the

University of North Texas at Dallas The University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD) is a public university in Dallas, Texas. It opened in 2000 as a branch campus of the University of North Texas, offering upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in multiple disciplines. In 20 ...

, which will begin play as an NAIA member in the 2020-21 season.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

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, 76 , , 76 , , 32.2 , , .475 , , .296 , , .733 , , 6.4 , , 1.4 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 59 , , 58 , , 32.5 , , .471 , , .429 , , .734 , , 6.3 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 70 , , 69 , , 35.1 , , .459 , , .385 , , .827 , , 6.8 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 18.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 76 , , 76 , , 36.3 , , .455 , , .319 , , .813 , , 7.0 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .4 , , 19.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 52 , , 51 , , 32.0 , , .451 , , .345 , , .782 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 31 , , 9 , , 26.7 , , .401 , , .267 , , .790 , , 3.6 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 12.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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, 18 , , 10 , , 22.7 , , .358 , , .241 , , .617 , , 4.1 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, 43 , , 18 , , 23.0 , , .399 , , .243 , , .773 , , 3.7 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 11 , , 4 , , 18.8 , , .403 , , .313 , , .583 , , 3.3 , , .4 , , .9 , , .3 , , 6.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 507 , , 403 , , 30.3 , , .448 , , .332 , , .770 , , 5.7 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 14.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .500 , , 4.0 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.0

Playoffs

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, 5 , , 0 , , 17.2 , , .222 , , .200 , , .909 , , 6.4 , , .8 , , 1.2 , , 1.2 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , 2005 , align="left" ,

, 13 , , 13 , , 32.9 , , .503 , , .250 , , .745 , , 7.4 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 15.5 , - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 23 , , 35.8 , , .453 , , .369 , , .808 , , 7.4 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 16.7 , - , align="left" , 2007 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 6 , , 41.3 , , .515 , , .389 , , .704 , , 9.8 , , 2.8 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , 21.3 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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, 5 , , 5 , , 34.2 , , .292 , , .100 , , .800 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .4 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , 2009 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 29.5 , , .438 , , .250 , , .776 , , 5.1 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , .4 , , 15.8 , - , align="left" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

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, 4 , , 3 , , 15.8 , , .294 , , .500 , , .800 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , 3.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 66 , , 60 , , 32.0 , , .440 , , .311 , , .782 , , 6.9 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 14.8

Awards and achievements

* ACC Player of the Year: 2003 * All ACC First Team: 2003 * ACC All-Defensive Team: 2003 * AP First Team All-America: 2003 * NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 2004 * NBA All-Star: 2007

References

External links

Official websiteESPN.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Josh 1980 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American men's basketball coaches Austin Toros players Basketball players from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Basketball coaches from North Carolina Dallas Mavericks draft picks Dallas Mavericks players Minnesota Timberwolves players National Basketball Association All-Stars Small forwards Utah Jazz players Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball players Washington Wizards players Hargrave Military Academy alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people