Former NBA star Dwight Howard, who played for 18 seasons in the NBA and won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, has signed to play for the Taoyuan Leopards in the T1 League, the club announced yesterday.
Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft with more than 1,200 NBA games under his belt, is expected to debut in the year-old professional league on Saturday next week, when the Leopards face New Taipei CTBC DEA at National Taiwan Sport University Arena in Taoyuan.
“I am so excited, and I can’t wait to touch down in Taiwan and start playing,” Howard said in a video posted on the Leopards’ Facebook page.
Photo: AFP
“This is my third time in Taiwan and I haven’t been for so long,” he said. “I can’t wait to see the fans and eat the food and have the best time ever, and bring the championship for Taoyuan City.”
Taoyuan Leopards general manager Brett Su (蘇翊傑) said in a statement that Howard’s addition would transform the Leopards into Taiwan’s strongest team and boost the overall level of play in the league.
“We hope to raise the level of domestic basketball by injecting more enthusiasm and creating a better environment,” Su said.
The Leopards on Saturday are to hold a news conference to introduce Howard before practice that day, the team said.
Howard played last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, his third stint with the team, before becoming a free agent.
In his 18-year NBA career, he was an eight-time NBA All-Star and a three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2.08m-tall Howard, who turns 37 next month, made almost US$250 million in salary during his NBA career, statistics Web site Basketball Reference showed.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS