Since his sad departure from the NBA, Dwight Howard has been on a mission. The 2020 NBA champion found a new path in Taiwan. Joining the Taiwan Mustangs of The Asian Tournament (TAT) in May 2024 and won the championship. But Howard wasn’t done. In a twist no one saw coming, he became a co-owner of the league. But Howard always knew this moment was coming.
He recalled a conversation after his first game in Taiwan, where he told a friend, “Man, I’m going to start my OWN league one day where former NBA players, top college recruits, & elite international players can still get a stage to showcase to the world how great they are.” At the time, Howard’s friend thought he was crazy. But that wild idea has become reality. “He looked at me crazy but one day is NOW!” Howard shared his dream.
Now, he’s opening the door for others. Taking to Instagram, Howard announced, “If you want the chance to earn a pro contract come on out to @theasiantournament PRO TRYOUT IN ATLANTA HOSTED BY DWIGHT HOWARD, TAT AND SHOOT360 .” The exclusive pro combine will take place on April 12-13, 2025, in Atlanta, GA. It’s designed for the next wave of elite hoopers looking for a shot at playing professionally overseas.
This announcement came days after he earned the biggest honor from his former club—Orlando magic. He becomes the 13th inductee into the team’s Hall of Fame.
But what will Howard’s tryout will offer? By the end of the tryout, two players will earn full pro contracts for the upcoming TAT season. And two more will receive 10-day contracts to prove they belong on a roster. But that’s not all—scouts will be present, and every highlight and key moment will be shared with a network of teams and agents actively searching for talent.
Of course, Howard will also be there alongside ex-NBA stars Sebastian Telfair and Andray Blatche, scouting and mentoring. So how can hoopers get in? Simple. Athletes can nominate themselves using the link Howard provided in his Instagram bio. If selected, they’ll be contacted directly by the TAT team. But do you know Howard is not stopping with new generation hoopers only?
Dwight Howard is going for big names too
Last year, when Dwight Howard won a championship both as a player and owner, he hinted at an even bigger goal. He wasn’t just satisfied with running a league—he wanted to bring NBA players into the mix. “Also guess what? Now that I’m an owner of a league, it’s time to get back to recruiting & it’s NBA playoffs! We gotta bring some other NBA players,” he shared.
And he’s been making moves since then. Last year, he openly tried to recruit Ja Morant and Chris Paul to his team. While that didn’t quite pan out, Howard didn’t walk away empty-handed. Instead, he landed two major names: DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook.
Soon after that Howard took to Instagram to confirm his ambitious vision. Some might call it unrealistic, while others see it as just classic Dwight—thinking big. His dream? Reuniting the entire 2020 Lakers championship squad under the Mustangs banner.
“Proud to announce we got our first commits @boogiecousins & @qcook323 to play in @theasiantournament and they all champions too. I told y’all we reuniting the 2020 Lakers & going global!” he wrote.
So, with his recruiting game in full swing, the question remains—can Howard actually pull this off? What do you think?
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