There have been many beefs, feuds, and controversies, but you’d still mostly see Dwight Howard with a smile. But what is it that makes the three-time Defensive Player of the Year carry a positive approach? He faced a similar question during his recent appearance on the Entirely NBA Podcast. “My blood type is B positive,” was the hilarious response. The actual cause, however, is not something that most fans would’ve expected.

Howard made a rather serious revelation that motivated him to cherish every moment of life he had with him. “My mom… She had lost 7 kids in birth. And nobody thought that I was going to make it either,” D12 said, revealing that he was a two-month premature kid.

“So for me, having life just itself gives me a reason to smile and be happy. Also not allowing anything to steal my joy because there’s so much out here that can. And I’m just blessed to be able to do what I do. Blessed to be able to live,” Howard explained.

The 3x NBA champ revealed that after all the things has started to appreciate the smallest of things. This includes the mere presence of light around him, and things he can see around him.  He further revealed the fact that he was raised amid immense love and care also contributed to his personality.

As per an article by YardBarker, because Sheryl Howard lost her 7 kids to miscarriage, D12 was referred to as a miracle baby in his family. That is an appropriate name, considering his 7’2″ towering figure earned him a spot in the NBA right after high school.

Well, he did have basketball in his DNA, for his mother played women’s college basketball at Morris Brown. No wonder he won 3 DPOY awards within his first 6 NBA seasons. He was truly a miracle baby. However, it’s not as if D12’s parents had no child after him.

Dwight Howard’s parents have 2 other children apart from their 3x DPOY son

Not many might know this, but D12 has a brother named Jahaziel Howard and a sister named Tashanda Howard. While not much info is available on Jahaziel, Basketball RealGM has listed him as a 6’6″, 220-pound player who even entered the NBA draft in 2011 but went undrafted.

Before his draft entry, he was associated with Northwest Shoals CC (Sr). In November 2013, Jahaziel also tried out with the G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but as per Basketball RealGM, the team placed the contract on waivers in the same month.

As for Dwight Howard’s sister, TaShanda Howard made it her mission around 2015 to empower youth, especially girls in underserved communities. Back then, she was working as a teacher in her hometown, Atlanta.

While there are no recent updates about her career, she made headlines in 2017 when she bashed Atlanta Hawks after D12’s trade to the Hornets. It’s clear that while D12 is the miracle baby of the family, he is not the only one sharing the legacy of the name that is Howard.