Josh Howard Rises Above More Than Just The Rim

The All- Star break is usually a time of celebration and rest for NBA players, for No. 5 it was another test of maturity and mental toughness. Home, in Winston- Salem, NC, Josh attended his third funeral in seven months, paying his respects to his great grandmother on his father’s side.

Three months later, Josh and the Mavs are in the midst of a playoff battle with New Orleans, and if the Mavs stand a chance of advancing, No. 5 will have to break past the slumps, the media, and even the heartbreak of off- court losses.

"Yeah, I've had tough things happen in my life," Howard says, responding to a question. "I realized I had to get over it, do my job and that's it.

"But there's stuff I don't understand. It's like you play so hard, you have one, two bad weeks and people are ready to throw you under the bus."

His whole life has been one challenge after another, at only 3 months, doctors feared Josh would never walk normally, they cracked his bowed leg bones and encased them in plaster. Now just days away from his 28th birthday, Josh remains heavy hearted with the deaths of his college coach, Skip Prosser, in July, his god-grandmother in January and great-grandmother in February.

“TRUST & BELIEVE”
In honor of his late coach Skip Prosser, No. 5 entered the season with two new tattoos, with the purpose of helping him remember and succeed. With the word "Skip" etched across his right biceps and "Trust" atop his right wrist, Josh looks to exude the same type of intensity he did when he was part of the 2003 Wake Forest squad that rode the coach's "Trust and Believe" mantra to the school's first Atlantic Coast Conference title in 41 years.

Josh was in town for his annual summer basketball camp for at-risk kids when Prosser passed. As Josh was conducting camp the next day he was visited by Sadie Brown, one of the women who helped raise him. She would often cook Josh breakfast and reward him with candy, this time she fell into her god-grandson's arms crying, informing him she had cancer.

"I'll never forget that, either," he says. "I gave her the big, 'You're not going to pass; you're going to be here for me.' "

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM
With the trials and tribulations, Josh has been through this past year he has also had his moments of joy. On October 1st, 2007, Josh phoned his mom, Nancy Henderson on her way to work:

"Happy birthday, Mom. You don't have to go to work anymore. Your birthday present is your retirement plan."

When his mother who had Josh at age 18 heard the news, she pulled over and cried.

For Christmas, Josh invited his entire family to his 6,283-square-foot, $1.2 million home in North Dallas, where he lives with his brother Stephen Howard, a 23-year-old business major at Paul Quinn College. Josh was able to gift his 16-year-old sister, Jordan, the laptop that she'd wanted, while welcoming his Aunt Phyllis Marshall, the executive director of Josh's foundation, his stepfather Terry Henderson, and of course his mother Nancy. Nancy says the house is "quiet and peaceful, just like Joshua," and that he watches out over Stephen.

"To see him now is so amazing," Nancy says. "Every time I think about it, I cry, I thank God, just seeing where he is.

"I'm sure not having a relationship [with his birth father] does affect him, but I think step by step it's become easier. I've always taught my kids that sometimes things don't work out like we want them, to forgive because you have to forgive and keep going."
FORGIVE & FORGET
In his ongoing maturation process, Josh forgave the woman who last February had him believing he was the father of her baby boy. He even missed two games to witness the birth. His mother Nancy said she had suspicions, so she wasn't surprised when Josh learned he isn't the father.

"I'm not the guy to be played with, but I forgave her," he says. "I understand things do happen. It was like a big test, just letting me find out who I was. Because I carried the situation through like any man would do if it was his child."

DRIVEN TO SUCCEED
Through this trying year, Josh has still managed to finish the regular season with career-high averages for points, rebounds and assists. He is driven by the sacrifices made by his mother and grandmother, by the photos of Skip Prosser and Sadie Brown on his bedroom dresser, and by being thrown under the bus by fans and media.
MEETING HIS FATHER
After seeing Josh briefly at his grandmothers funeral, Kevin Robinson contacted Josh’s mother Nancy to arrange a meeting. Josh agreed to see the father he didn’t meet until age 11.

"Meeting him and realizing he couldn't do anything for me made me realize I'd never be like him," Howard says.

Josh stays in touch with his three half-sisters, but not Robinson. Only the February death of hiss great-grandmother Sally, Robinson's grandmother, brought father and son together. Briefly, awkwardly.

"Even though he wasn't in my life, she knew who I was and that I was there for her," Howard says. "So I think it was tougher on him.

"It's probably eating him up now just to see that I'm successful. I don't have to cuss him out or say anything to him."