21 July 2023 , 18:45
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Former NBA superstar Dwight Howard has had a rollercoaster time in Taiwan since making the surprising move.
After 18 years in the NBA, Howard decided to leave and join the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan - despite still being a solid player in his later years in the league.
Howard had a dominant first season on the court, registering some huge numbers and winning the Most Valuable Import award in his first year - but it has not come without controversies.
Here, Mirror Sport looks at why Dwight Howard left the NBA to play in Taiwan, what he's been up and how he's performed.
Why did Dwight Howard leave the NBA?
Howard will go down a sure-fire Hall of Famer after his incredible career. Winning Defensive Player of the Year three years consecutively, taking an incredibly subpar Orlando Magic team to an NBA Finals, winning a championship and making eight consecutive All-Star teams - Howard will go down as one of the best big men of his era in the NBA.
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Howard won the equivalent of the NBA in Taiwan in his first seasonIn his later years in the league, Howard's athleticism declined - hurting his game defensively. While never being a solid player on offense, Howard accepted his role as a back-up big-man as he essentially would be a situational player. He remained solid in that role and started over 20 games on a Los Angeles Lakers team which won the NBA championship in 2020.
But after not signing with a team to begin the 2022/23 season, Howard decided to move abroad and take up an offer in Taiwan with the Leopards.
Mass Brawl
Howard quickly showed the league the player he was - dominating from his first game in which he registered 38 points, 25 rebounds and nine assists.
It was all going very well for Howard, who looked to be levels above everyone he was up against and being a beloved figure in Taiwan. But after three months into the season, Howard was ejected after getting involved in a huge fight.
The fight began when Dwight Howard's Taoyuan Leopards team-mate elbowed his opponentHoward's teammate, Chian Yu-an elbowed an opponent who attempted to defend him, with several teammates rushing towards the two with punches thrown.
Howard was not involved initially and looked to be the peacemaker after not being captured in the images among those who had thrown punches. However, he was one of 12 players to be ejected from the game.
Howard would then miss several key outings after suspension and struggling with injuries, with the team losing heavily in his absence.
Taiwan Apology
Seen as a hero by many fans for choosing to join the league and speaking very highly of living on the island, Howard annoyed locals when he named Taiwan a "country".
A Reuters report claims that the hashtag, #HowardTaiwanindependence, had nearly 400million hits in one day on social media platform Weibo. Taiwan's sovereignty remains a much-debated topic, with them first split from mainland China in 1949. However, China still claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan.
Howard did apologise profusely for his comments, stating that he did not want to get involved in politics and respects both Chinese and Taiwanese culture.
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Howard averaged 23 points per game'Disrespectful' request
And while Howard seemingly remains happy to continue his playing career in Taiwan, he recently admitted that he was asked to take a pay cut ahead of the new season.
Clearly, Howard was not willing to accept that proposal from his team - a fair point to make after his dominance on-the-court.
He told Taiwanese outlet TVBS News : "I felt like that was very disrespectful. I felt like I brought value to the team. I was very disappointed… I felt like I deserved more."
Howard finished his first season averaging 23 points, 16 rebounds and five assists.