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Back in his prime NBA days, Dwight Howard was recognized as one of the best big men in the league. Coupled with his size and strength at the rim, Howard was also a force defensively with his presence. Despite being a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, he found himself out of the league following 18 NBA seasons.
Howard found himself a new home in Taiwan with the Taoyuan Leopards (T1 League). He signed a $1 million contract, eclipsing the league's standard pay of $20,000 for foreign players. However, he left Taiwan as he was offered a new contract that was less than their original offer.
Following his departure, Dwight Howard reminisced about his time in Taiwan. He posted a hilarious clip on Instagram about the height of his competitors and what he was dealing with on a nightly basis:
"This is what I was dealing with in Taiwan," Howard said. "Players, 7'6, 7'5, 7'3, all on the same team."
Despite being a tall basketball player himself, Howard found it challenging that the teams he was going up against consisted of 7-footers.
Be that as it may, Dwight Howard finished his career in Taiwan averaging 23.2 points (57.7% shooting, including 22.9% from 3-point range), 11.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
Dwight Howard on returning to the NBA
With Dwight Howard's return to Taiwan up in the air, he mentioned that there is a possibility he can return to the NBA, as per a Complex interview with Zion Olojede:
"I know I can provide a team with 25 minutes of dominant basketball," Howard said. "And that's not even scoring, that's just playing defense, locking people up, protecting the paint, rebounding, and finishing around the basket.
"I've had my fun in the game. I just want to go out like a champ, like I'm supposed to."
Howard feels he has more left in the tank if given the opportunity to play for an NBA team. This was evident in the 2019-20 season when he was a pivotal backup with the Los Angeles Lakers. His level of play helped the Lakers capture a championship title against the Miami Heat.
Despite his contributions to the team, his final NBA season with the Lakes (2021-22) did not go as well as he would have liked. The team ended up missing out on the 2022 playoffs after a 33-49 record.
