For years, the identity of Kniko Howard’s father was one of the unanswered questions surrounding Draya Michele.
Michele became a recognizable television personality through Basketball Wives LA, but her first son was born years before that spotlight arrived. She was only 17 when Kniko was born in 2002, and she largely kept the circumstances surrounding his father private.
That changed in 2016.
After years of speculation, including a rumor that former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was Kniko’s father, Michele publicly addressed the story herself. Her explanation was considerably different from what had been circulating online.
She said Kniko’s father was a Pennsylvania man named Kniko Howard, who worked as a barber. She also explained that he had been incarcerated during her pregnancy and that she had never received child support.
That statement is the clearest public account of Kniko’s paternity. It is also why the Gilbert Arenas claim should be described as a rumor, rather than a confirmed fact.
Who Is Kniko Howard?
Kniko Howard is Draya Michele’s oldest son.
Michele gave birth to Kniko in 2002 when she was 17. The same report says Kniko has generally lived outside the public spotlight and later attended Georgia State University.
He has occasionally appeared publicly alongside his mother, including at the Despicable Me 3 premiere in 2017 and the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2018.
In August 2021, Michele also publicly celebrated Kniko starting his freshman year at Georgia State University.
That is about as much of his adult life as the reliable public record reveals. Kniko has not built a public career comparable to his mother’s, and much of the information circulating about him remains tied to questions about his family.
Who Is Kniko Howard’s Father?
Draya Michele identified Kniko Howard Sr. as her son’s father.
In a February 2016 Michele said she became pregnant at 17 and that Kniko’s father had been incarcerated while she was seven months pregnant.
She also said his father lived in Pennsylvania and worked as a barber.
Most importantly, Michele said her son was named after his father, making Kniko a junior.
That statement is significant because it came directly from Kniko’s mother after the paternity rumors had already become widespread. It is therefore stronger evidence than later biography websites that simply repeat the story without adding a source.
Michele has not publicly provided extensive details about Kniko Howard Sr.’s private life, and there is no reason to fill those gaps with speculation.
Why Was Gilbert Arenas Linked to Kniko Howard?
The Gilbert Arenas story developed from celebrity speculation surrounding Michele and people in her Basketball Wives circle.
Arenas was a well-known NBA player, and rumors began circulating online that he was the biological father of Michele’s son. The allegation became sufficiently widespread that it was being repeated as though it were established fact.
Arenas eventually addressed the claim himself.
In August 2015, Arenas challenged websites making the allegation to produce evidence connecting him to Draya and Kniko.
The report said Arenas offered to donate $1 million to the relevant sites’ chosen charities if they could prove the claim.
The important point is not the size of the challenge. It is that even before Michele publicly addressed the story, the allegation had become a major internet rumor without publicly demonstrated proof.
What Did Draya Michele Say About Kniko’s Father?
Michele eventually decided to address the speculation directly.
Her 2016 statement, reproduced by contemporaneous outlets, said she became pregnant at 17 by a man who later became incarcerated. She described growing up in a small Pennsylvania community and rejected the idea that the father was a professional athlete.
She also addressed the financial claims surrounding the rumor.
Michele said she had never received child support and had never claimed that Arenas was the father.
Her message was ultimately straightforward: the man she identified as Kniko’s father was not a professional athlete. He was a Pennsylvania barber named Kniko Howard.
That is the account that should be used when reporting the story.
Did Gilbert Arenas Ever Get Proven to Be Kniko Howard’s Father?
No public evidence identified in the reporting reviewed establishes Gilbert Arenas as Kniko Howard’s biological father.
That distinction matters because the rumor has been repeated so frequently that some later articles have treated it as part of Kniko’s established biography.
The strongest contemporary evidence points in the opposite direction. Arenas publicly challenged the allegation in 2015, and Michele subsequently identified another man as Kniko’s father in 2016.
There is also no publicly identified DNA test, paternity judgment or other court determination establishing Arenas as Kniko’s father.
That does not mean every private detail of Kniko’s family history is publicly known. It means the available evidence does not support presenting the Arenas allegation as fact.
What Does Pennsylvania Law Say About Paternity?
The legal distinction between a rumor and established paternity is important.
Pennsylvania has a formal legal process for determining paternity when it is disputed. Under 23 Pa.C.S. § 4343, paternity of a child born out of wedlock can be determined by a civil court. The statute also provides for genetic testing when requested by a party to a paternity action.
The law states that genetic-test results showing a 99% or greater probability of paternity create a presumption of paternity, although that presumption can be rebutted under the circumstances specified by the statute.
That legal framework is relevant to the Kniko story because none of the public reporting reviewed identifies a paternity judgment or genetic-test result establishing Gilbert Arenas as Kniko’s father.
In other words, celebrity gossip and legal paternity are not the same thing.
Was There a Child Support Case Involving Gilbert Arenas?
The public reporting reviewed does not establish a child-support judgment against Gilbert Arenas concerning Kniko Howard.
In fact, Michele said the opposite in her 2016 statement. She said she had never received child support.
That statement should not be confused with a court finding. It is Michele’s public account of her circumstances.
Pennsylvania law does provide mechanisms for support proceedings when parentage has been established. But the existence of those laws does not mean that a particular person was ever legally ordered to pay support.
No verified public court record identified in this research establishes that Arenas was legally recognized as Kniko’s father or ordered to pay support for him.
Is There a Current Court Case About Kniko Howard’s Father?
There is no verified public court proceeding identified in the sources reviewed that changes the publicly reported account of Kniko Howard’s paternity.
The old controversy was a celebrity and media story rather than a documented public paternity judgment involving Arenas.
That distinction is especially important today because search results can make old rumors appear current. Articles published years after the original controversy often recycle the same allegations without producing new evidence.
A genuine change in the legal position would require something concrete, such as a court filing, judgment, genetic-test evidence entered into a proceeding or credible reporting based on such documents.
Where Is Kniko Howard Today?
Kniko has continued to maintain a relatively private life despite growing up with a mother who has remained in the entertainment and fashion spotlight.
PEOPLE reported that Michele celebrated his start at Georgia State University in 2021. More recently, Kniko has occasionally appeared alongside his mother at family and sporting events.
In January 2025, he continued to appear publicly with his mother, this time while they watched Jalen Green play for the Rockets.
But there has been no comparable public campaign from Kniko himself to revisit the old paternity controversy.
That is worth noting because the story has largely been about adults around him rather than statements made by Kniko.
What We Know About Kniko Howard’s Family
Kniko is Michele’s first child.
She later had a son, Jru Scandrick, with former NFL player Orlando Scandrick, and welcomed a daughter with NBA player Jalen Green in 2024. PEOPLE’s family profile documents the three children and places Kniko at the beginning of Michele’s journey as a mother.
His own story, however, began before Michele became famous.
She was a teenager in Pennsylvania when she became pregnant. Her mother helped her through early motherhood, and Kniko eventually grew up while Michele built her career in entertainment, fashion and business.
That background is more relevant to understanding Kniko than the repeated internet speculation about a famous athlete.
