The unraveling of Dwight Howard’s marriage is getting painfully public, and the latest development is honestly hard to listen to.
Newly revealed 911 call audio first obtained by TMZ on Thursday captures a tense and emotional moment involving the NBA veteran’s now-estranged wife, Amber Howard.
In the call, Amber — who also goes by the name Amy Luciani in her work as a rapper and model, BTW — claims she had been locked out of the couple’s enormous Georgia mansion after an argument with the former Los Angeles Lakers star, leaving her stranded outside in the rain while trying to figure out what to do next.
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According to the audio, Amber told the dispatcher she was stuck outside the gated entrance of the sprawling 35,000-square-foot property because Dwight had locked it. She claimed that this wasn’t exactly unusual behavior, either, saying it’s something he allegedly does when their disagreements escalate and he gets upset.
While explaining the situation to the operator, Amber made sure to identify exactly who she was talking about:
“Dwight Howard from the Lakers.”
The call reportedly took place on March 6, BTW. And throughout it, Amber sounds frustrated, overwhelmed, and determined to be heard. At one point she claimed Dwight had been dealing with serious personal stress the night before, alleging that he had lost custody of his daughter. That claim has circulated on Amber’s social media, as well — though multiple outlets have said they have not been able to independently confirm it.
Regardless, Amber clearly believed the situation affected the way he treated her. To that end, she told the dispatcher:
“He took it out on me.”
Oh, no…
According to the call, Amber said she eventually tried to get back onto the property by walking through nearby woods and forcing her way through a side gate while rain poured down around her. She even remarked that she was surprised neighbors hadn’t already called the police after seeing her wandering around trying to get inside the estate.
Her frustration boiled over as she described feeling repeatedly pushed out of her own home:
“I cannot keep being made to sleep in my car when my husband gets mad because he’s a multi-millionaire and he’s an NBA star.”
Jeez…
But perhaps the most jaw-dropping moment in the call came when the dispatcher asked a routine safety question: whether there were any weapons in the house.
Amber’s response was immediate:
“Oh, for sure.”
She then told the operator that the home allegedly contains “over a thousand” firearms stored inside what she described as a very nice gun room on the property.
Which, uh, wait, WHAT?! Over a thousand guns????
The disturbing call came just one day before another escalation between the couple. On March 7, Dwight reportedly contacted police, claiming Amber had taken several personal items including his wedding ring, jewelry, and phone. And then just two days later, on Monday of this week, the NBA champ filed for divorce.
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Oh, and by the way, later on Thursday, Dwight officially announced his retirement from professional basketball. He hasn’t played in the NBA in several years now after a very long career in the league, so it’s not like he was an active player — but it would seem to speak to the fact that a lot is going on with him.
Anyway, what’s playing out now would sure seem to be less like celebrity gossip and more like a deeply sad, very public collapse of a marriage. And if the emotion heard in that 911 call is any indication, things behind the gates of that mansion had already been unraveling for quite some time.
BTW, you can listen to the 911 call audio HERE.
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To learn more about the impact of gun violence, visit https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/gun-violence.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
