Dwight Howard‘s bond with Asia has only deepened ever since he found his place in the Asian basketball scenario. Notably, Howard played for more than a decade and a half in the NBA, but after his last stint with the LA Lakers, no team made him an offer. Subsequently, he entered the basketball scene in Asia with the Taoyuan Leopards in the T1 League. Now he will play in ‘The Aisan Tournament’ as well, but amid the preparations, Howard seemed to be in a traveling mood with his kids.

The 8x All-Star has five children — 3 sons, and 2 daughters — with five different women. However, this trip to Japan included only two of his children. Taking to his Instagram account, the NBA champ posted photos from the trip with his son and daughter. “A Smile don’t need a translation… It’s a universal language that brings people together all around the world… Keep Going & Explore… 日本人ファンの皆様:日本から出発する前に会いたいですか” he wrote in the caption.

The Japanese part of the caption translates to “Dear Japanese fans: Do you want to meet before I leave Japan?” The trip comes as a part of Dwight Howard’s ‘World Smile Tour’, which involves him visiting different countries to raise awareness through outreach programs on sports and basketball.

Howard will soon be in Taiwan for the earlier mentioned Asian Tournament that commences on July 26. Not only is he playing in the tourney, but he is also now a part owner of it. The 8x NBA All-Star announced his ownership in May this year through an IG post, where he also stated his goal of bringing in as much NBA talent as possible in his league. So far, the plan seems to be working as Howard is re-uniting with two of his former teammates from the Lakers — DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook — on Taiwan Mustangs.

Can Dwight Howard’s trio combination secure another championship?

Howard, Cousins, and Cook were a part of the 2020 NBA championship-winning team of the Lakers. Although Cousins missed the entire season because of his ACL injury, the franchise still awarded him with the championship ring. Cousins won a championship in Taiwan’s T-1 league as well in 2024 with Taoyuan Leopards, earning himself the T1 League Finals MVP.

Notably, Howard had also played for the Leopards in 2023 and averaged an impressive stat line of 23.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. He secured multiple awards and accolades in the league but failed to claim the championship.

The third member of the trio, Cook, also comes with some experience in the Asian basketball scenario. He played in the Chinese Basketball Association with Zhejiang Lions. The 2x NBA champ has since then tried his hands at the Puerto Rican league as well. And now ‘The Asian Tournament’ will mark his return, as the trio will face squads from the Philippines, China, South Korea, and Japan in the tourney.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.