SUMMARY
- Dwight Howard is one of the greatest big men the NBA has ever seen.
- The 3x DPOY signed with the T1 League in 2022, after failing to land a deal in the NBA.
Dwight Howard holds a special place in the history books of the NBA. For 18 seasons, he was one of the most positive faces in the league, and it wasn’t until 2020 that he won his first and only championship. Howard entered the league in 2004, drafted by the Orlando Magic as a No.1 overall pick. For a good portion of his career, he lived up to the hype that was created around him in high school. Howard decided to surpass a college career and declare for the draft.
However, since he left the NBA, the 3x Defensive Player of the Year has had a turbulent life. From extreme se*ual assault lawsuits to battling various false narratives around his name, Howard managed to stay strong. In November 2022, after failing to land a deal in the NBA, the 8x All-Star decided to take his talents overseas to the Taiwanese T1 League. He outperformed most of his peers and allegedly recorded 84 points according to social media sources.
Dwight Howard did not score 84 points in Taiwan
As amazing as it would have been to witness Dwight Howard dominate the floor and score 84 points, there is absolutely no evidence available to prove it happened. These days, every big-name tournament such as the NBA, EuroLeague, and T1 League televises their games. If Howards scored 84 points, the internet would be filled with highlights of that specific game. There are no highlights on platforms such as YouTube either.
Nah Dwight going crazy in Taiwan😭 pic.twitter.com/6scTQ7C28B
— The CaruShow 🐐 (@BaldMambaSZN) February 18, 2023
The rumored stat line of 84 points, 37 rebounds, 9 assists, and 14 blocks went viral in 2023. The poster that was uploaded by a fan looked legitimate. But it wasn’t officially posted by any other account directly affiliated with the T1 League either. It was believable since the skillset that NBA players carry compared to players from leagues such as T1 is much higher.
Dwight Howard was one of two players to record 30 points & rebounds since 1982
Dwight Howard certainly did not record 84 points and 37 rebounds. This was something Wilt Chamberlain was able to do consistently when the NBA did not have as many guidelines to follow. However, Howard proved that grabbing 30+ rebounds was possible as many have done in the past. He once recorded 32 points and 30 rebounds during a game between the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets in 2018.
Dwight became the second player besides Kevin Love to record a double-double stat line like this since 1982. But in the T1 League, Howard had a couple of impressive performances while playing for the Taoyuan Leopards. During his debut game, the ex-NBA star recorded 38 points, 25 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 blocks. He also managed to rack up multiple accolades despite spending only one season in Taiwan.