Dwight Howard Comforts Disaster-Stricken Taiwan With Heartfelt Message

Dwight Howard may no longer be playing for Taiwan’s T1 league, but he has not forgotten his time there. Notably, 5 earthquakes hit eastern Taiwan on April 22 within just 9 hours’ duration. In this time of disaster, Howard has extended a heartfelt message for Taiwan.

“All my people in Taiwan who have just been affected by the earthquake, you know, I just want to send you guys a message, let you know that I pray that everything is okay. I know a lot of people are still shooken up by just being in an earthquake. It is very scary experience, and I know this has been a very difficult time,” the 2020 NBA champ said, appearing on ‘Above The Rim’ podcast.

He further mentioned his thoughts and prayers are with all the families in Taiwan that have been affected. He also thanked God that the earthquake’s effects were not as bad as the Richter scale (7.5) would suggest. In an act of goodwill and generosity, he made a promise regarding relief work for the disaster-struck region.

“I would love to come back to Taiwan very soon to help do a relief project for all of the fans there. Bring the smiles back. Bring the smiles and everyone to Taiwan just to kind of get your mind shifted,” he said. It is worth mentioning that Howard has shared some special memories with the land of Taiwan, which probably makes this scenario even more difficult for him.

Dwight Howard’s Taiwan connection

It is well-known that Howard’s defensive prowess in the NBA was largely unmatched. And his awards and accolades testify to this notion. However, most of these achievements came during his time with the Washington Wizards when he was at his peak. It is, perhaps, his differences with the franchise and back surgery in 2012 that marked the end of his time as a Wizard. 

This marked a gradual decline in Howard’s career, something that could be seen in his declining stat line as well. His NBA career ended after no franchise picked him after his last season with LA Lakers in 2022. After this, Dwight Howard made his debut in Taiwan’s professional basketball league, the T1 league. Notably, he played the T1 league just for the 2022-2023 season with Taoyuan Leopards. But he still earned multiple awards and accolades for himself in a single season’s duration.

Some of these awards include the 2023 T1 League Most Valuable Import and the 2023 T1 League All-Star Game Most Famous Player. He was also the league’s rebound leader for that season. It is also important to highlight that the T1 league usually caps the salary of foreign players to $200k. But the league made an exception for Howard with a $1 million offer. Whatever love and respect he received during his single season playing in Taiwan still reflects in him keeping Taiwan in his prayers.