(Taipei) Former NBA star Dwight Howard will join a Taiwan championship basketball team with which the 36-year-old center will make his debut next week, his new roster announced Thursday.
Posted at 9:29
” I am very excited. I can’t wait to land in Taiwan and start playing,” Howard said in a video posted on the Facebook page of his new team, the Taoyuan Leopards.
“I can’t wait to see the fans, eat the food and have the best time of my life, and bring back the championship for Taoyuan City,” he added.
Howard was an eight-time All-Star selection during his 18 NBA seasons and won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers in the pandemic-hit 2019-20 season.
He was a free agent after playing for the Lakers in the 2021-2022 season: he averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game with the Los Angeles franchise.
The Taoyuan Leopards in northern Taiwan will hold a press conference on Saturday to officially introduce Howard ahead of his scheduled debut the following weekend, the team posted on Facebook.
“We hope he can pass on his experience, mentality and skills to the young players in the team and help our team win this year’s championship,” the Taiwanese club’s management said.
Basketball and baseball are the two most popular sports in Taiwan and have professional leagues that draw large crowds.
The Leopards are one of six teams in the T1 league created last year, the youngest of the island’s three professional leagues.
The team did not provide details of its agreement with Howard. “I’m ready to enjoy life playing the sport I love in front of a group of people who love me,” the former Orlando Magic player shared in a video on Instagram.