Eight-time NBA All-Star joining Filipino team

Dwight Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, is joining the Filipino team Super Group for 2024’s Dubai International Basketball Championship, reports Shams Charania of Stadium.

The Dubai International Basketball Championship is a tournament that takes place each winter. This year’s event is scheduled for January 19-28, so Howard will get the opportunity to showcase his skills in a handful of games and then return to the free-agent market as he continues to seek an NBA comeback.

Howard, 38, last played in the NBA in 2021/22, when he averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game for the Lakers across 60 appearances (27 starts). He was out of the league last season, instead suiting up for the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan.

Howard met with the Warriors before the start of the 2023-24 campaign, but Golden State opted not to sign him. The former No. 1 overall pick was said in November to be considering the possibility of resuming his playing career with a team in Europe or Australia.

Once a dominant rim protector and rebounder, Howard has lost a step since his prime and would be one of the NBA’s oldest players if he returns to the league; he was also accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault and battery, which may further reduce his chances of finding a new NBA opportunity.

Former NBA guards Nick Young and Shabazz Muhammad were among the players who were part of the Super Group squad from the Philippines that competed in the Dubai International Basketball Championship last year. That team went 3-1 in group play but was eliminated in the first game of the knockout round.