Although basketball fans in Taiwan are looking forward to seeing Dwight Howard play next season, the former NBA superstar said that could be “difficult” due to the pay cut the Taoyuan Leopards have proposed in contract negotiations.
TVBS on Wednesday reported that the eight-time NBA All-Star and the Leopards, the franchise he played for in the T1 League last season, have reached an impasse over salary, which reduces the chance local fans would get to see the star next season.
“I was offered a contract which was 65 percent less than they gave me the first time I came to Taiwan, and I felt like that was very disrespectful,” Howard said. “I felt like I brought value to the team. I was very disappointed. I felt like I deserve more.”
Photo: CNA
Howard said that the Leopards told him one of the reasons is that he failed to lead the team to the playoffs, which he does not accept.
In his first season in Taiwan, the 37-year-old played nearly 34-and-a-half minutes per game while averaging 23.2 points, 16.2 rebounds and five assists, ranking second, first and fifth in the league respectively.
The star’s influence also saw the Leopards’ home court at National Taiwan Sport University Arena packed to the rafters with 10,000-plus fans per game since November last year, but the Leopards finished last in the six-team league after winning only six of 30 games in the regular season, two wins fewer than the previous season.
When Howard left Taiwan on Tuesday last week, few Leopards staffers were seen in his company at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Many fans criticized the Leopards for the send-off, but the club said that its public relations personnel and photographers were all with Howard.
Asked to respond to Howard’s remarks, the Leopards, though not confirming them, said any changes to the contract were made because Howard played only two-thirds of the 30-game regular season.
In the contract the Leopards have proposed, a certain amount of Howard’s salary would be fixed, while the rest is incentive-based depending on how many games he plays, and how many wins and losses the team have, Leopards chief executive Johnny Chang told the Central News Agency.
Chang described the offer as “mutually beneficial,” while also aiming to encourage Howard to play more and better. For example, the bonus for wins is 35 times more than it was last season.
With negotiations still ongoing, the Leopards on Thursday refused to discuss the details of contract talks with Howard, including whether the total amount in the proposed offer is more or less than the first contract.
While the details of Howard’s first contract were never revealed, his monthly payment was at least US$200,000, former Leopards general manager Brett Su said when announcing the former NBA superstar’s addition to the team in November last year.
T1 League commentator Chen Kai, though not familiar with the details, said based on the information released so far, Howard might still get at least 75 percent of his salary if he plays every game next season, which is better than the two-thirds cut Howard claimed.
However, Chen said it is unlikely an NBA star like Howard would accept a contract in which most of the salary is not guaranteed, “because the contract numbers of most NBA players we talk about are fully guaranteed.”
The impact of Howard on Taiwanese basketball is “absolutely comprehensive,” but the Leopards might be reluctant to shoulder the cost alone, Chen added.
In a social media post on Wednesday where he called his time in Taiwan “more than basketball,” Howard asked people to comment and tell him whether and when he should return to Taiwan.
However, even if Howard does not return to Taiwan next season, Chang, who is traveling to Europe and the US to look for other foreign players, said that fans would still have plenty to look forward to.
“The Leopards’ culture is to keep bringing high-level impacts to Taiwan basketball,” he said.
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