Former NBA standout Dwight Howard has acknowledged that he still misses his estranged wife, Amy Luciani, as the pair navigate a contentious divorce that has unfolded in the public eye.
The former Los Angeles Lakers center, who recently announced his retirement from professional basketball, remarked during a rare interview that has resurfaced online, reflecting on how meaningful the relationship once was, even as their marriage now teeters on collapse.
Howard, a Hall of Famer and threetime NBA Defensive Player of the Year, tied the knot with Luciani, also known as rapper Amber Rose Howard, in early 2025. The Atlanta native, who gained fame on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, has been a vocal personality in entertainment and philanthropy.
While the couple initially presented as solid in public appearances, the relationship has since deteriorated into a series of dramatic moments spanning social media, legal filings, and police involvement.
Their marriage is now the subject of a courtfiled divorce petition that Howard submitted in March 2026, citing “irretrievably broken” differences with Luciani.
In a candid conversation on Michael Phelps‘s Above the Rim podcast that coincided with his retirement announcement on March 12, Howard looked back on the early days of their partnership with genuine emotion, describing how Luciani‘s presence filled a void that had lingered even after decades as an elite basketball player.
He spoke about the loneliness that can accompany success and fame, saying that having a partner to lean on had been critically important to him.
“It was my wife and being able to have a partner. Yeah. So that was kind of like the big thing… having somebody you could share experiences with,” Howard said, underscoring the emotional attachment he felt.
Yet despite that closeness, the marriage has faced relentless strain over the past year, including multiple police responses to the couple’s Georgia residence.
Reports indicate authorities were called to the home three times within two weeks, responding to a suicide threat, a domestic dispute, and a theft complaint, though officials have not detailed exactly what occurred or who made the calls.
Turmoil behind closed doors
The public unraveling of their relationship intensified in March 2026, when Luciani took to Instagram with a series of emotional videos alleging serious issues within their household, including claims that Child Protective Services had been called and that one of their children was temporarily removed from the home.
These posts also included allegations about Howard‘s behavior, which he has vehemently denied.
In particular, Howard took to a social platform to bluntly reject assertions about drug use, writing publicly, “Never done Coke in my life.”
The couple’s divorce filing is not the first: Luciani previously filed for divorce in July 2025, just six months after their January wedding, citing that the marriage was “irretrievably broken” and requesting a fair division of assets.
That action, accompanied by a mutual restraining order, was later dismissed when the two briefly reconciled amid earlier turmoil.
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