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Former NBA star Dwight Howard is having the time of his life in the Philippines as he prepares for the 2024 Dubai International Basketball Championship. Howard will be playing for the Philippine team along with ex-NBA players like Andray Blatche and Andre Roberson.
Howard is currently on his "World Smile Tour," which is his effort to make it back to the NBA. His first stop was the Philippines, and he didn't waste any time in making the most out of it. He arrived early this month with Blatche, a naturalized Filipino citizen.
He posted two videos on X, both challenging YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a fight. The former Orlando Magic star is more confident in fighting Paul this time as he's hoping former eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao will help him improve his boxing skills.
"Yeah, Jake, I'm getting right," Howard said while practicing his punches. "Me and Manny Pacquiao. Jake Paul, I'm coming for you, baby! I'm coming. Let's go!"
In the second video, he seems more eager to fight Paul. Pacquiao, on the other hand, didn't get a chance to share his thoughts on potentially training Howard to fight and just smiled the entire video. Or maybe he did, but it wasn't caught on camera.
Fans seem eager to see a boxing match between the eight-time All-Star and the former Disney channel star.
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Dwight Howard links up with boxing legend
Fans were surprised to see Dwight Howard visiting the boxing legend during his stay in the Philippines.
In a video of Pacquiao sitting alongside Howard and Blatche posted online, the two ex-NBA stars mess with the former senator.
The two big men asked Pacquiao the famous chicken and egg question. They laughed as they asked which came first, the chicken or the egg. Pacquaio didn't give his answer immediately and simply laughed it off. The footage came as a behind-the-scenes snippet of Howard's podcast, "D12 Above the Rim."
The two sports icons also shared a battle of strategy as they played chess. Both exchanged autographs during their meetup. Pacquiao asked Howard to sign a figure of him, while the former NBA star got a shoe signed by the boxing legend.
Pacquiao's interest in sports goes beyond boxing. In 2014, he joined the Philippine Basketball Association as a playing coach for the Kia Motors basketball team. To prepare for his PBA stint, he trained in the Golden State Warriors' practice facility. His career in the PBA ended shortly but he helped found a different professional league, the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
Pacquiao was reportedly interested in owning an NBA team before completely stepping away from boxing in 2019.
