After nearly 18 years in the NBA, Dwight Howard has shifted his focus to the Taiwan League after failing to secure a contract with an NBA team. The 38-year-old has signed with the Taiwan Mustangs for the 2024 season.
Howard recently joined Gilbert Arenas on the “Gil’s Arena Live” podcast. During the appearance, the former NBA star discussed his plans for retirement.
“You know, I love the game. I’ve always loved it, but I put in so much work, so much time. It’s like, now I want to give that time to the kids. OK. I sacrificed so much time and weight to have to train and do all that stuff. And you know, the kids are getting older, and it’s important that I’m there with them as they’re getting older,” he said.
When asked about his new experience in the Taiwan League, Howard, who tried to recruit Jayson Tatum to the Taiwan League, was enthusiastic and positive about the new challenge.
“I’m having an amazing time, just to be able to get out and hoop. You know, it’s a different atmosphere. It’s fans that never had a chance to really come see an NBA game. Now they get a chance to come watch us play. It’s an amazing feeling, man. I feel like going over there; it brought me back to life,” he replied.
Dwight Howard Reflects on Emotional Departure from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013
After the Lakers traded for him before the 2012-13 season, Howard spent just one year with the team before moving to the Houston Rockets for the 2013-14 season. During his appearance on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, the former Lakers star admitted that his departure was influenced by emotional decisions rather than logical reasoning.
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“One, I was already pissed because I had to go to LA. Nobody knew I didn’t want to go LA. I didn’t want to go to the Lakers because I wanted to beat the Lakers. They just beat us in the finals. In my mind, I was like, ‘Why would I go to the team that just beat us?’” he said.
“I do regret that, making a decision just based off my emotions and how I was feeling about how the fans were, how I felt the organization was at the time with me and Kobe. I didn’t really make a smart, logical decision,” he added.
Howard rejoined the Lakers for the 2019–2020 season. This time, his tenure was successful as it ended in an NBA Championship win.
