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Dwight Howard’s Ex Tiffany Render Speaks Out For 1st Time About NBA Star, Ugly Custody Battle
Dwight Howard’s ex-girlfriend Tiffany Render spoke exclusively to In Touch about their relationship and what led to their ugly court battle over custody of their 14-year-old daughter.
Tiffany slammed Dwight, 39, for allegedly turning on her after years of being close friends. She accused him of using his money to drag her in and out of court, and making it hard for her to have time with their daughter.
Dwight’s lawyer, Gillian B. Fierer, told In Touch the ex-NBA star “vehemently disputes the allegations made by” Tiffany.
Dwight’s attorney told In Touch that Dwight and Tiffany both signed agreements “which have been made Orders of the Honorable Court of Fulton County. Those Orders prohibit either party from making disparaging remarks or comments about the other party, and both parties are charged with the responsibility of carrying out their co-parenting relationship in a manner conducive to the best interests of their daughter.”
Tiffany explained to In Touch she met Dwight in 2008 and they had their daughter in 2010. Tiffany said she loved Dwight, but eventually they decided the relationship wasn’t working out.
She claims people around Dwight pushed her out of his life after she raised questions about his team. Tiffany said she continued to stay close friends with Dwight, along with his family and friends, despite the split.
“I was probably the only baby mama that was close to him and stayed his friend,” she told us. “I thought that kept me safe. I felt safe.”
Over the years, Tiffany claimed Dwight, even while in other relationships, would ask her to move near him.
Tiffany said she ended up getting married to another man in 2015. She claimed Dwight would only occasionally see their daughter, due to his busy NBA schedule.
“He was never a great father,” Tiffany said.
“I made excuses about it to our daughter.” Tiffany claimed.
Tiffany said as her marriage was ending, her and Dwight started to get “flirty” with each other.
Around the same time, Tiffany decided to move to Atlanta, where Dwight lived.
Tiffany said she was in a good financial situation at the time, so she was able to rent a 5,000 square-foot home outside of Atlanta.
During this time, in 2022, Tiffany claimed Dwight and her were still “flirting” and she was spending days at a time at his house.
Tiffany said one morning he asked her to leave the home because he had friends coming over.
Tiffany said the next morning she was served a lawsuit filed by Dwight seeking to reduce his $12,000 a month child support payments.
Tiffany said she called Dwight to ask him “What the f–k is this?”
She claimed he told her it was an accident by his legal team. Tiffany said she told Dwight they could work out the matter privately, if he needed a reduction.
Tiffany claimed, despite Dwight saying the case was filed by accident, it continued on in court. She claimed Dwight’s lawyers initially offered her $2,000 a month in support.
Tiffany claimed Dwight then called her personally to offer her $3,000 a month, if she moved into his Georgia estate with their daughter, and not buy a home she was in the process of purchasing.
Tiffany agreed to the deal and moved into the home in 2023.
She said Dwight left for an overseas opportunity. She tells In Touch that she lived there for three months before one of Dwight’s employees asked her when she planned on leaving, which surprised her.
Tiffany said Dwight became unresponsive.
At the time, Dwight had custody of their daughter in the summer. She said she was told to leave right as Dwight’s custody time with their daughter was starting, which meant she had to leave Dwight’s home without her daughter.
She told In Touch she figured out a plan and moved to Florida. She claimed once she got there, Dwight cut of communication and stopped giving her updates on their daughter.
Tiffany said she drove down to Georgia to pick up her daughter, when it was her custody time. She said her daughter objected, due to wanting to attend an event the following week, but they eventually got on the road.
During the ride, Tiffany claimed her daughter filmed a video of herself crying in the car that was sent to Dwight’s team.
She said the video was later used against her in court.
Tiffany said Dwight filed a second lawsuit, which demanded full custody, after she moved to Florida.
He accused her of allowing their daughter to film for a reality show and took issue with inappropriate TikTok videos.
Tiffany claimed the TikToks in question were shot by their daughter at Dwight’s home and denied allowing her to shoot a reality show.
In July 2023, Dwight was hit with a civil lawsuit by a man named Stephen Harper accusing him of alleged sexual assault during a threesome at the former NBA’s home. Dwight admitted to a consensual sexual encounter but adamantly denied any abuse claims.
Stephen filed an incident report with the Gwinnett County Police Department, according to ESPN, but no criminal charges were ever filed against Dwight.
The AP reported Stephen did not meet with a detective from the police department, despite the detective’s repeated attempts to schedule a talk.
In court, Tiffany claimed she planned on bringing up the lawsuit against Dwight in court, but the judge would not allow it.
Stephen dismissed his civil lawsuit against Dwight in August 2024. The ex-NBA star’s lawyer claimed no money was exchanged with Stephen as part of the dismissal.
The dismissal came after Dwight accused Stephen of deleting texts that the ex-NBA star said proved their encounter was consensual.
In her battle, Tiffany claimed their daughter told the judge she wanted to live with her, but did love her dad.
She claimed the judge did not consider the entire situation when making his decision. In January 2024, the court awarded Dwight temporary primary custody with Tiffany having visitation. “I was really upset with the decision,” Tiffany said.
Their daughter moved in with Dwight in early 2024 and has been there ever since.
Initially, Tiffany said she was receiving $3,000 a month for travel expenses to see her daughter during her visitation.
Dwight and Tiffany went to trial in November 2024, where Tiffany believed she would regain custody.
In court, she said Dwight had nine witnesses testify against her, some of who she previously felt were her friends.
Tiffany said she had planned to call Dwight’s ex-nanny as a witness, but scheduling issues prevented her. In the end, the judge awarded Dwight primary custody and terminated support.
“This has got to be a f–king joke,” Tiffany thought when the judge told her Dwight had primary custody.
“What did I do besides not being a millionaire?” Tiffany asked. She said she no longer receives the $3,000 a month for travel expenses.
As In Touch first reported, back in January, Dwight filed a petition accusing Tiffany of being in contempt of court and accused her of defamation. Tiffany claims she has not seen the lawsuit or been served with any paperwork.
Tiffany tells In Touch she believes Dwight is upset about a reality show, Ladies Of Orange County FL, that she filmed with his other ex, Royce Reed. The show is completed and being shopped around, Tiffany claims.
Tiffany said she plans to continue the fight to regain custody of her daughter.
Dwight’s lawyer told In Touch, “While [Dwight] vehemently disputes the allegations made by [Tiffany] … he will not speak negatively about [Tiffany] publicly or otherwise, as it is his belief that the sanctity of Court Orders, as well as the integrity of the parties’ agreement to behave in a way that benefits their daughter, whom they both love immensely, should be paramount.”
The former NBA star’s lawyer continued, “While we understand that the world is inherently interested in [Dwight’s] personal life, I can assure you that he desires for his family to deal with these matters privately and surrounded by the truth rather than propaganda. Thus, [Dwight] will preserve his arguments for the appropriate venue, and will refrain from further comment.”
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