Joshua Jay Howard (born April 28, 1980) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is an American professional basketball player in the NBA. At and , he starts at small forward for the Dallas Mavericks.

Howard won various awards in high school, continuing his academic and athletic career at Wake Forest in 1999. Howard, unlike fellow players of his 2003 NBA Draft class, stayed in college all four years. He won multiple awards in his senior season, including ACC Player of the Year, All ACC First Team, ACC All-Defensive Team, and AP First Team All-America. Coming into the league, Howard was projected as a mid to late 1st round pick in the 2003 NBA Draft because of his apparent lack of upside.

Howard was drafted with the 29th selection in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks. He started his career coming off the bench until he caught a break in 2004. Howard won his spot in the lineup after Marquis Daniels became injured. Consistent performances by Howard have led him to becoming an integral part of the Mavericks, leading them in several games. Howard's defensive ability has led him to feature on a defensive team in college, and a call up to the United States national basketball team. Howard's performances also helped him become an All-Star in 2007.

Josh Howard is the writer/artist of the American comic book series Dead@17 published by Viper Comics, Black Harvest published by Devil's Due, and the upcoming Lost Books of Eve also published by Viper Comics. Howard is also a regular columnist for the Wizard website.