Still laughing at Dwight Howard‘s hilarious new look on Dancing With the Stars? You might have missed another element that got overshadowed by his cool bob wig during the show. It was a close call for D12 and his choreographer, Daniella Karagach, who ended up in last place in the celebrity competition. Howard clearly wasn’t in his best effort, and there’s a reason for it.

In a recent conversation, Howard revealed that he and his dance partner had to travel to New York, leaving them with only two days to rehearse. The reason? Howard had to make an appearance in court after falling victim to a scam that cost him $7 million. 

“Everything was just a little off the whole week. And our dance, it was kind of the same way. We wasn’t connected like we have been on the last couple of dances. We really tried our best. We did overtime practices,” Howard explained. He further added, “I think our minds were just so out of it. It was just so much going on that we didn’t have the best outcome that we wanted.”

The judges on the show were not kind when evaluating his performance, yet the duo still managed to score 23 out of 40 points. A 23 with just two days of rehearsal? It’s easy to imagine that he could have scored higher with more practice. “Like this week I was doing two a days. I’m going nine to one and five to nine. Like on our own we’re doing this. This is not required. This is me and her saying ‘we’re going to get this dance right’. I think our minds were just so out of it,” Howard added.

Despite it all, both Howard and Karagach stole the show with their talent. They wore bright, disco-themed outfits that matched the retro vibe of their performance. Howard’s wig, reminiscent of the ’70s, had fans’ attention.

However, many netizens believe that the reason behind Howard’s underperformance should have been shown to the fans. 

Dwight Howard’s Dream was squashed with a $7 million scam

The NBA champ had invested $7 million in a group with a special aim in mind. All Howard had hoped was to gain was a chance at owning a WNBA team. It was meant for his daughters.

Unfortunately, the group that he invested in scammed him. As per the Associated Press, Calvin Darden, Jr. was found guilty of the fraud. It was heartbreaking to see the scammer spend the money on cars, a piano, and a down payment for a home, while Howard had intended it for ownership of the Atlanta Dream.

About his dream and the scam that broke it, the ex-Los Angeles Lakers player said, “I was like ‘man, I want to really do this ‘cuz I got two daughters, one day they’re going to want to play basketball, I can set it up to where they can play for the Atlanta Dream,’” on his podcast. He would have something to pass down as his legacy. 

Although owning a WNBA team remains a distant dream, Howard has since acquired ownership stakes in a Taiwanese basketball league and one of its teams.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.