Dwight Howard announced on May 30 that he has become the part owner of a Taiwanese basketball league as well as one of its teams. Howard said that he was inspired to make the move following his first professional game in the country in 2023.
As Bleacher Report reports, Howard has elected to play overseas after not drawing any interest from teams stateside since the 2020-2021 season when he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Howard announced his latest move on Instagram, writing, “Last year after the first game I played in Taiwan I looked over at Mu Real and said, ‘Man, I’m going to start my OWN league one day where former NBA players, top college recruits and elite international players can still get a stage to showcase to the world how great they are.’ He looked at me crazy but one day is NOW! And we are coming back!!”
Howard continued, “I am so blessed to now be able to say I am a part owner of a professional basketball league playing in [The Asian Tournament]. So [Where is Dwight Howard] going next? I will be playing for the [Taiwan Mustangs] in Taiwan as an owner/player! Not just the owner of a team but of a LEAGUE & yes Taiwan on this date last year I left Taiwan in tears and now I am FINALLY coming back!”
Howard, who
plays for and is now a partial owner of the Taiwan Mustangs, is a dominant force in the league. In 2023 he averaged 23 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists while playing for the Taoyuan Leopards. In his 2022 debut in Taiwan, Howard put up a stat line that looks like it was pulled from NBA 2K: 38 points, 25 boards, 9 assists and 4 blocks.
Howard is already looking to bolster his team, posting an open call on X for other ex-NBA players to join him. Howard is reportedly the first basketball player in Taiwan to have an ownership stake in a league he plays in, the NBA has a strict rule prohibiting such an arrangement.
As Fadeaway World reports, Howard’s announcement
also revealed that the team would be participating in the Asian Tournament, a continental tournament that features teams from several Asian countries.
Howard continued to call for NBA players to join his “World Smile Tour” writing, “Only this time we are doing it even BIGGER I am extremely blessed to have the ability to spread love, positivity, & make people smile all around the world! Being an owner of a league & using my influence to make the world happier through the universal language of the smile is something I dreamed of…”
Howard concluded, “Also guess what? Now that I’m an owner of a league it’s time to get back to recruiting & it’s NBA playoffs! We gotta bring some other NBA players on the World Smile Tour so comment your flag, tag the player you want me to recruit to my league, and tell them ‘C’MON’.”
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