Dwight Howard claims his contract with Taoyuan Leopards was reduced by 65%
Last year, Dwight Howard left the NBA to move overseas to Taiwan and signed with the Taoyuan Leopards. It was reported that his salary was more than $1 million per season.
This was partly because the T1 league envisioned that Howard would be great for basketball in Taiwan. Recently though, Howard has reported that he is unhappy with the way things have been handled by Taoyuan Leopards.
Howard claims that his contract has been slashed by 65% as compared to what was originally promised.
"After the season, I was offered a contract which was 65% less than what they gave me the first time to come to Taiwan. I felt like that was very disrespectful. I felt like I brought value to the team. Them asking me for a 65% decrease in payment - I was very disappointed. I felt like I deserve more."
Dwight Howard said that his new contract was reduced by 65%. Taoyuan Leopards CEO responded that the misunderstanding was due to a different calculation method. Now it's an incentive-based contract. This season Howard played in 20 games and missed 10 games due to injuries. https://t.co/xgETmd0kEh
The CEO of Taoyuan Leopards claims that this is a misunderstanding and that the contract is meant to be calculated based on an incentive program.
Initially, the Taiwan league anticipated that not only would Howard increase fandom, but he would also bring in more players from the NBA.
This season, Howard played 20 games and missed 10 games due to injuries. Overall, he had a fairly good statistical season. However, despite Howard's impressive numbers, the Taoyuan Leopards finished the season last in the standings and are the only team that will not make the playoffs.
This is rather disappointing especially when you have a legendary player like Dwight Howard on your team.
What is Dwight Howard's net worth?
Dwight Howard is one of the greatest players in modern NBA history. Howard has won the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) on multiple occasions and is an elite-level rebounder. He is a future Hall of Fame player.
Dwight Howard was worth more than $140 million as of 2022 and made $2.5 million with the Lakers in his final season. During his days with the Orlando Magic, Howard was earning $28.9 million per season, with $11 million coming from endorsements like Adidas and Mcdonald's.
Throughout his career, Howard has signed several other noteworthy contracts. Howard's initial rookie contract with the Orlando Magic in 2004 was followed up with multiple high-profile deals with the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and the Philadelphia 76ers.