Joshua Jay Howard (born April 28, 1980) is an American basketball 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. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

High school career

Howard attended Glenn High School in Kernersville, North Carolina, 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 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 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 Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Pittsylvania County. Chatham's population was 1,269 at the 2010 census. It is included in the ...

, where he averaged a double-double, 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 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 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 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, 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 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 The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(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 Shane Courtney Battier (born September 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He's also worked for ESPN and recently joined the board of Yext. Battier is best known for his four years playing basketball at Duke, his 13 ye ...

) 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 and the

James Naismith Award James is a common English language surname and given name: * James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambigua ...

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 Marquis Antwane Daniels (born January 7, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Auburn University before going undrafted in the 2003 NBA draft. He played his first three years for the Dallas Ma ...

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 Mavericks ...

, 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, it was asserted by referees that Howard called for a timeout during

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA champi ...

'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 Joseph Crawford (born August 30, 1951 in Havertown, Pennsylvania) is an American retired professional basketball Official (basketball), referee who worked in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1977 and 2016. Crawford, who wore un ...

agreed with him. After

hit his second foul shot to put the Miami Heat 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 director Jerry Colangelo invited Howard to serve as one of Team USA's possible defensive specialists (the other two being

of the Memphis Grizzlies and Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs) in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

. Howard turned down the offer, instead going back to run his annual youth camp in his hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. During the 2006–07 season, Howard missed 2 games ( Seattle at Dallas, and Dallas at Memphis). His 18.9 points per game combined with 6.8 rebounds a game helped lead the

to a season-best 67–15 record; however, he was left out of All-Star weekend at first. After injuries to

Yao Ming Yao Ming (; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Associat ...

and

Carlos Boozer Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last season ...

, Howard was offered the extra spot. Hall of Famer

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

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. In April 2008, hours before Game 3 of the Mavericks' first-round series with the New Orleans Hornets, Howard told Michael Irvin in an interview on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM that he smoked

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

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 TrueHoop is a digital media company co-founded by Henry Abbott, a digital sports media executive and journalist, and Judy Goodwin, an attorney and entrepreneur. After 10 years at ESPN, Abbott relaunched TrueHoop with a subscription-based newsletter ...

'' blogger Henry Abbot.

Washington Wizards (2010–2011)

On February 13, 2010, Howard was traded to the Washington Wizards along with

Drew Gooden Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a broadcaster for NBC Sports Washington. The power forward played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...

, James Singleton and

Quinton Ross Quinton Lenord Ross (born April 30, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. High school and college Ross led Dallas's Justin F. Kimball High School to the state finals, but they lost in the championship game. He went undraft ...

for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson. On March 16, 2010, Howard underwent surgery after tearing his ACL against the Chicago Bulls 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 Utah Jazz.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2012)

On November 15, 2012, Howard signed a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum with the Minnesota Timberwolves. 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 New Orleans Hornets.

Austin Toros (2013–2014)

On October 25, 2013, Howard signed with the San Antonio Spurs. However, he was waived just a day later. On October 31, Howard was acquired by the

Austin Toros Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

, 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 The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

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 Carolina University (CU), formerly Piedmont International University (PIU), is a Private university, private Christianity, Christian university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Carolina University offers both residential and online programs incl ...

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

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Dallas , 67 , , 29 , , 23.7 , , .430 , , .303 , , .703 , , 5.5 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Dallas , 76 , , 76 , , 32.2 , , .475 , , .296 , , .733 , , 6.4 , , 1.4 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Dallas , 59 , , 58 , , 32.5 , , .471 , , .429 , , .734 , , 6.3 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Dallas , 70 , , 69 , , 35.1 , , .459 , , .385 , , .827 , , 6.8 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 18.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Dallas , 76 , , 76 , , 36.3 , , .455 , , .319 , , .813 , , 7.0 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .4 , , 19.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Dallas , 52 , , 51 , , 32.0 , , .451 , , .345 , , .782 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Dallas , 31 , , 9 , , 26.7 , , .401 , , .267 , , .790 , , 3.6 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 12.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 4 , , 3 , , 22.8 , , .435 , , .273 , , .750 , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .5 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 18 , , 10 , , 22.7 , , .358 , , .241 , , .617 , , 4.1 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Utah , 43 , , 18 , , 23.0 , , .399 , , .243 , , .773 , , 3.7 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Minnesota , 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

, - , align="left" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

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

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

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

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

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

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, align="left" , Dallas , 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; ...

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

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, align="left" , Dallas , 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 gather ...

, align="left" , Utah , 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:

* NBA All-Star:

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