Orlando Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard acknowledged Friday that he has become a first-time father of a baby boy born recently in Orlando.
Howard, 22, told the Orlando Sentinel after the team's shootaround in Denver that he was the boy's father.
"I'm not going to deny it. Yes, I have a son," Howard said. "It's just my personal life. Yes, I'm excited about it, but I'd like to keep my personal life personal."
The mother is Royce Reed, a former Orlando Magic dancer.
Reed was a member of the Magic's dance team at least during the 2005-2006 season, according to club's Web site. She danced for the Miami Heat during the 2006-07 season, according to the Heat's Web site.
Juanita Reed, Royce Reed's mother, said the baby, Braylon, was born Nov. 18 in Orlando, three weeks early.
"She's doing great," Juanita Reed said Friday. "Royce and Dwight are very happy. They are very good friends. How close they are, well, you'd have to talk to them. I'm just the grandma. It was not something that was planned. It was a beautiful surprise, though."
Howard, who signed a contract extension this season believed to be worth $85 million over five seasons, is expected to make his first start for the Eastern Conference in next month's NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. He is the leading vote-getter among centers in either the conference with more than 1.4 million votes.