Last Updated on August 12, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Josh Howard developed into one of the league’s more dependable two-way wings during his prime, earning recognition for his scoring ability and defensive effort. At his best, he played a key role on strong Dallas teams by contributing across the board without needing the offense built around him.

Here is detailed information about basketballer Josh Howard:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Joshua Jay Howard
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: April 28, 1980
  • Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm)
  • Weight: 210 pounds (95 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 11 inches (211 cm)
  • Shoe Size: Size 15 (US)
  • Position: Small Forward / Shooting Guard
  • Jersey Number: 5 (primarily)
  • High School: Glenn High School, Kernersville, North Carolina
  • College: Wake Forest University (Demon Deacons) (1999–2003)
    • Senior year: Named ACC Player of the Year in 2003 and earned consensus first-team All-American honors.
  • NBA Draft: Selected 29th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.
  • Teams Played For:
    1. Dallas Mavericks (2003–2010): Had his best years with Dallas, earning an All-Star selection in 2007.
    2. Washington Wizards (2010–2011)
    3. Utah Jazz (2011–2012)
    4. Minnesota Timberwolves (2012–2013)
  • Championship Rings: None
  • Children: Known to have children but details are limited.
  • Siblings:
    • Grew up in a single-parent household with his mother and has siblings, but specific details are not widely available.

Notable Achievements and Legacy:

  • Known for his two-way versatility, athleticism, and contributions to the Mavericks during their playoff runs in the mid-2000s.
  • After retiring, Howard has been involved in coaching and community initiatives, including founding the Josh Howard Foundation to support youth education and development.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Josh Howard was a rangy, athletic two-way wing who fit the mold of a slashing secondary scorer rather than a pure primary creator: at 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, he brought long-striding open-floor speed, functional strength, and enough length to bother wings at the point of attack. Offensively, he did much of his best work attacking in space, finishing in transition, cutting, and creating from isolation or straight-line drives, while Dallas also leaned on him as a legitimate second scoring option during his peak years. Defensively, his value came from checking perimeter threats, supplying point-of-attack resistance, and giving his team a plus defender on the wing. In full, Howard’s game was built on athletic scoring, defensive versatility, and glue-guy rebounding from the forward spot, making him the kind of player who could impact both ends without needing an offense built entirely around him. (Mavs Moneyball)

Scouting Report

Josh Howard always looked most comfortable when the defense hadn’t quite settled. He wasn’t the kind of wing who relied on elaborate dribble packages to manufacture offense because his separation often came from decisive, economical footwork, hard straight-line drives and an instinct for attacking the moment a closeout drifted too high. The interesting thing is how naturally he fit into the flow of an offense. He could relocate along the perimeter, cut behind defenders who lost vision of him, post smaller wings when switches presented themselves and finish possessions without needing the ball for long stretches beforehand. When he did attack off a pick-and-roll, it was usually to get downhill quickly rather than dance with the defender, and that direct style kept help defenders under constant pressure. Defensively, his length and lateral mobility allowed him to crowd ball handlers without giving away driving lanes, and he consistently disrupted passing angles by sitting in the gaps before recovering to his assignment. That’s where a lot of his value came from. He wasn’t chasing steals for their own sake; he preferred making the next pass uncomfortable and forcing offenses deeper into the shot clock. The trade-off was that he wasn’t an advanced playmaker capable of bending entire defenses with his passing, and when opponents packed the paint and encouraged him into difficult pull-up jumpers, his offensive rhythm could flatten out. To me, Howard fit best alongside a primary creator who attracted extra attention, allowing him to operate as the secondary scorer who punished rotations rather than initiated every possession himself. His game shares similarities with Caron Butler because of the blend of physical wing scoring and defensive presence, while there are flashes of Harrison Barnes in the way he attacked space decisively, embraced contact and quietly accumulated points without dominating the ball. — Mat Diekhake, HeatingUp

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