There are many options to play basketball professionally which creates many different routes for those who are lucky and good enough to go pro. For some, the ideal route is to play college at a big D1 school, be a NBA lottery pick, and then have an illustrious, long career with said team. But that is not always what happens, just ask Dwight Howard who just made is Taiwan T1 League debut after 18 years in the NBA.
Dwight Howard was one of the best NBA players at one point after being drafted #1 in the 2004 NBA Draft out of high school and coming strong out the gate. He spent his first eight seasons with the Orlando Magic. During his tenure in Orlando, he was a rookie of the year, all NBA, a 3x Defensive POY, and even was a 4-time rebounding champ and 2-time blocking champ. If it weren’t for Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers defeating him in the 2009 NBA Finals, he would have had a championship with the Magic too. But that story never got finished.
If you can’t beat them, join them. Dwight Howard decided to team up with Kobe and Steve Nash to hopefully create a LA super team. That did not come to fruition but Howard still managed to lead the league in rebounding that season. He left town for Houston after just one season with the Los Angeles Lakers. This would not be the end for him and the Lakers.
This is where it gets a bit wild. He spent three seasons in Houston and would bounce to a different team for the following six seasons. Those included Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers (again), Philadelphia 76ers, and Lakers for one final time.
His second stint with the Lakers made up for everything in the past as he played a vital role off the bench for their 2020 Championship.
After little to no interest this past offseason, Howard took a call from Taiwan and decided to join the Taoyuan Leopards.
Friday, Howard made his debut and put “Superman” numbers up. He nearly notched a triple-double after finishing with 38 points, 25 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 blocks.
After all that, Dwight just loves the game and wants to continue playing the game in any capacity possible. If it takes him across the world, he does not mine. And he’ll become a fan favorite, that’s for sure.
Also, I have to add that he also welcomes the trash talk. And he’ll reciprocate, even if it is only liking a reply in response to the all the trash talk commenter.
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