Dwight Howard had to go overseas to land his next basketball contract, but he will actually be paid surprisingly well for his troubles.
The eight-time All-NBA center Howard announced this week that he is headed to Taiwan to play for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League.
George Liao of Taiwan News reported on Wednesday that Howard’s contract with the Leopards is expected to exceed $1 million. That is notable because it is much more than the T1 League’s usual limit for foreign players. Under normal rules, Liao adds, a monthly salary for a player should not exceed $20,000 per month (which would equal $180,000 per season, assuming nine months of play).
However, the T1 League can approve a non-conforming salary package for a player, given that the team reports it to the league first (which the Leopards reportedly did here with Howard). Liao also says that the T1 League believes Howard’s presence will boost both the level of competition as well as the fan interest in their league. Howard’s upcoming away games in the T1 League are said to be almost sold out.
For Howard, who will be turning 37 next month, that comes out to a pretty nice payday and is only a modest cut from what he made last year with the Los Angeles Lakers (about $2.6 million). Plus, continuing his professional basketball career in Taiwan is a far better outcome than the other career path that Howard was considering.
H/T NBA Reddit
