Juwan Howard is not known for being involved in occultism. Howard is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach of the University of Michigan men's basketball team. He had a successful career in the NBA, playing for several teams including the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Charlotte Bobcats, Portland Trail Blazers, and Miami Heat. Throughout his career, Howard gained a reputation for his hard work, dedication, and professionalism. He was highly respected by his teammates and coaches for his leadership and basketball knowledge. After retiring as a player, Howard transitioned into coaching, first as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat and then as the head coach of the University of Michigan.
"I kept telling the director: 'I'm not stupid. I wouldn't just go up and shoot. I'd have to pump-fake him.' But in the end, it was getting too complicated. So they said to just shoot it and he'd block it."
Though he denies cultivating an enigma, Defever is known for creating mysteries by playfully making things up when talking to the press an article about him in the old Detroit-area publication Orbit was titled His Name Is a Liar. Ann Arbor native and Detroit musical polymath Shelley Salant was tasked to go through Defever s multiple boxes of tapes, transferring them to a computer and listening to the hissy relics for interesting sections that Defever could then sort through, clean up, and reorder to make up the albums in A Silver Thread.
After retiring as a player, Howard transitioned into coaching, first as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat and then as the head coach of the University of Michigan. Occultism, on the other hand, refers to the study and practice of supernatural and mystical phenomena. It encompasses various practices such as astrology, divination, witchcraft, and spiritualism.
A brief history of Michigan coach Juwan Howard’s acting career (and the one line he hated the most)
New Michigan men's basketball head coach Juwan Howard addresses reporters and supporters during his introductory press conference at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, on Thursday, May 30, 2019. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com) Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
shares- Andrew Kahn | [email protected]
Twenty years later, Juwan Howard is still upset about what they made him say.
This is a man overflowing with pride for the University of Michigan. He cried tears of joy when returning to the school as its men’s basketball coach this spring.
To say he was from that school? He was just a few years removed from a college career that included an 0-4 record against that school, including a loss in the 1992 national championship.
But this was not real life. It was television. And Howard had to follow the script the “The West Wing” writers had given him.
"They made me say Duke, man," Howard said recently, shaking his head. "They said I was from Duke. I was mad."
But Howard, ever the professional, said the line and lived to act another day.
The “West Wing” cameo was part of Howard’s brief acting career in the mid- to late-1990s, while he was playing in the NBA, and included dragging a pre-"Black-ish" Anthony Anderson to safety on the NBC sitcom “Hang Time” and showing off his home-made, lava-hot jambalaya on HBO’s “Arli$$."
Howard said he was “never that guy trying to become an actor or a seek a different career.”
When the shows reached out to Howard’s agency, Howard said he wasn’t interested initially but reconsidered because he thought it would be fun.
Reggie Theus, a former NBA standout who starred as a high school basketball coach on “Hang Time,” said the show sought players like Howard who might be able to act.
"We were always looking for the connection with the guys in the league," Theus said, adding with a laugh: "The guys that obviously could chew gum and walk at the same time."
Theus remembered a lot of laughing with Howard on set. At one point, Theus looked over and saw that Howard had a "big Kool-Aid face going on," which required some regrouping.
"Even just being naturally yourself on camera is sometimes hard for guys," Theus said. "Juwan had no problem with it -- great personality, great person, everybody loves him."
Theus didn’t miss the chance to use the show to needle Howard’s $100 million contract -- a first for a major professional sports figure.
“It’s actually one hundred and five million dollars,” Howard says in the episode, which aired in 1996. “It’s not my fault you were born 15 years too early. Everyone’s getting big contracts now.”
Given the number of lines and range of emotion, it is the most acting required of Howard during his time in front of the camera.
“The key is to not ask them to do too much,” Robert Wuhl said of the athlete cameos on “Arli$$.”
“Don’t ask them to do something they’re not capable of doing. You don’t want them carrying plot. They’re there for texture, to add authenticity.”
Wuhl played show namesake sports agent Arliss Howard in the HBO sitcom, which featured dozens of athlete cameos during its run from 1996 to 2002, including one from Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh.
Howard showed up in a Season 4 episode that aired Aug. 15, 1999. Playing himself, he was involved in an athlete cookbook that included recipes like Sammy Sosa's Salsa, Jason Kendall Krunch, and "that ever so spicy, Juwan Howard's Juwambalaya."
Wearing a red sleeveless shirt bearing the dish’s lobster logo and an apron, Howard offers a spoonful to veteran actor Jim Turner’s character. This is “hotter than your jump shot,” Turner says.
With a mischievous smile, Howard says, "Try this -- more habaneros." Turner's glasses fall into the pot and the lenses melt.
Those on the set that day recall Howard's visit fondly. "He was a gentleman and nice to be around," said Allan Stephan Blasband, a writer for the show.
A screenshot from Juwan Howard's 1999 appearance in the TV show "Arli$$".
Wuhl said Howard didn’t need more than a couple of takes for his scene.
“The thing about athletes is that the good ones are coachable, which means they take direction. So with every take -- to them it’s reps -- they get better, looser.”
David Falk, Howard’s agent at the time, noted that Howard majored in communications at Michigan. “He’s very well spoken so getting him on interviews and TV shows was just natural,” Falk said.
A month after the "Arli$$" episode aired, a political drama created by "A Few Good Men" writer Aaron Sorkin premiered on NBC.
“The West Wing” would win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series four straight years and is considered by many to be among the best TV shows of all time.
“I had no idea it was going to blow up and be what it is today,” said Howard.
Howard became the biggest small part of that legacy the moment Martin Sheen, as the President of the United States, called for Howard’s character to step out of a black car and join his team for a late-night basketball game played on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Several hours earlier, on the same makeshift court, the cast had time to kill before it got dark. A few of the actors had known the basketball scene was coming and had been practicing during lunch breaks on the Burbank, California set.
After flying across the country, they were not going to pass up the opportunity to play some unscripted ball with a former Fab Five member and an NBA All-Star.
One of them, actor Richard Schiff, approached Juwan and said, “Let’s go.”
Schiff and castmates Bradley Whitford and Dulé Hill took on Sheen, Howard, and actor Rob Lowe in a pickup game that lasted hours.
Howard was 26 at the time and in the prime of his pro basketball career, playing for the Washington Wizards. The other players on the court were, well, actors.
"He was taking it easy on us, but we were making him work," Schiff recalled.
"Here I am trying to take Juwan Howard to the hole," Hill said. "He blocks my shot, and it's headed toward the White House."
"I think his inner dialogue told him, 'I better not hurt these people. It will be a long day if they get hurt,'" Schiff said.
But Schiff did get hurt, though Howard was not at fault. The actor had undergone a knee operation a few years prior. "The West Wing" director didn't approve of the 3-on-3 game, fearing an injury. Sure enough, Schiff felt his knee give. "I very quietly said to a production assistant, 'Don't tell anyone, but get me ice, an ace bandage, and some Advil.'"
On a very painful knee he kept secret from the director, Schiff is shown scoring a layup against a winded Sheen to open the episode, the fifth of what would be a seven-season run.
The President’s staff members urge him to quit, but instead he motions for a substitution, and introduces the other players to Rodney Grant, the associate director of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.
They immediately believe he is a ringer. Schiff's character says Grant's name sounds familiar.
"Is it possible that you've played some organized ball?" he asks.
"Yeah, I used to play a little with my friends," Howard's character says.
"And where was that?"
"Where would that be?"
Howard pauses before tilting his head and admitting, "Duke."
Schiff's character laughs. "This guy was in the Final Four!"
As Schiff remembers it, when the actors reached the Duke line in rehearsal, Howard said, "I can't say I played for Duke. I'm a Michigan guy."
The director told him he had to say it.
“I can’t,” Howard repeated. “I can’t say I played for Duke.”
This went on for a couple of minutes until Howard realized he had no choice.
"He was hell-bent on not saying he played for Duke," Schiff recalled.
Schiff suggested that the writers may have avoided Michigan to try to separate Howard from his character and, therefore, reality from fiction.
Regardless, with Grant's credentials established, Schiff's character takes the ball needing one basket to win. He points at Grant: "I'm taking you to the hole."
He takes a few dribbles to his right and prepares for a short jumper.
"He's supposed to block my shot," Schiff said. "That's what was supposed to happen. The first three or four takes, I did a couple of pump fakes and got him in the air. And he didn't want to hurt me, so he's trying to be physically polite.
"I kept telling the director: 'I'm not stupid. I wouldn't just go up and shoot. I'd have to pump-fake him.' But in the end, it was getting too complicated. So they said to just shoot it and he'd block it."
And that's what happened. Howard swats the ball with his right hand, sending it past secret service and towards the President's residence.
Schiff then tells Hill to "guard the new guy," and the show's theme music and intro montage commences.
The 6-foot-9 Howard was nearly a foot taller than anyone else in the scene, but that would have been the only reason he stood out to viewers, in Hill’s opinion.
“I would say that when Juwan did his scene, he did not stick out like a sore thumb,” Hill said. “It was a believable scene. It worked. So bravo to you, Juwan.”
More Michigan basketball content:
Stream Wolverines games live: fuboTV, ESPN+, Sling
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
While occultism may have its followers and practitioners, there is no evidence or information to suggest that Juwan Howard has any involvement or interest in this field. Juwan Howard's focus and passion have always been centered around basketball. He has dedicated his life to the sport, both as a player and as a coach. His coaching philosophy revolves around developing players' skills, fostering teamwork, and nurturing personal growth. Howard is known for his emphasis on discipline, hard work, and attention to detail. In conclusion, there is no connection between Juwan Howard and occultism. Howard is a highly respected figure in the basketball world, known for his skills, leadership, and coaching abilities. His dedication to the sport and his focus on guiding young athletes towards success are the hallmarks of his career..
Reviews for "Juwan Howard's Esoteric Beliefs Explored"
1. John - 1/5
This book was a complete waste of time. The author's attempt to present Juwan Howard as some kind of occultist was ridiculous and far-fetched. There was no evidence or credible sources provided to support the claims made in this book. It felt more like a conspiracy theory than a well-researched piece of literature. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for serious and factual information about Juwan Howard or the occult.
2. Emily - 2/5
I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The writing style was confusing and lacked organization, making it difficult to follow the author's train of thought. Additionally, the book relied heavily on conjecture and assumptions rather than concrete evidence. While the topic itself had potential, the execution left much to be desired. I would recommend looking for more reputable sources if you're genuinely interested in learning about Juwan Howard and his involvement in the occult.
3. Mark - 1/5
I couldn't even finish reading this book. The author's outlandish claims about Juwan Howard's involvement in occult practices were baseless and unfounded. It felt like a desperate attempt to create controversy and fabricate a narrative. The lack of credible sources and supporting evidence left me questioning the accuracy of the information presented. It's a shame because I was genuinely interested in learning more about the subject, but this book was a major disappointment.
4. Sarah - 2/5
I found "Juwan Howard Occultism" to be an underwhelming read. While the concept seemed intriguing, the execution was lacking. The writing style was dry, and the evidence presented was weak at best. The author relied heavily on speculation rather than concrete facts, making it difficult to take the book seriously. If you're looking for a well-researched and informative piece on the subject, I would recommend looking elsewhere.