NBA-ийн аварга, сагсан бөмбөгийн алдрын танхимын гишүүн Дуайт Хауард Гүрж улсын “Блэк Фортресс Тбилиси” багт нэгдэж, мэргэжлийн тамирчны замналаа албан ёсоор дуусгахаа мэдэгдлээ.
40 настай төвийн тоглогч Дуайт Хауард Гүрж улсын А-Лигт тоглохоор болсноо өөрийн цахим хуудсаараа дамжуулан зарлав. Тэрээр өмнө нь гуравдугаар сард сагсан бөмбөгөөс зодог тайлснаа зарлаж байсан ч ийнхүү эргэн ирж, Гүржийн нийслэл Тбилиси хотын багтай нэгдэж байна. Хауард өөрийн дараагийн очих улсыг шүтэн бишрэгчдийнхээ саналаар сонгосон бөгөөд АНУ-ын Жоржиа муж биш, харин баруун өмнөд Азийн Гүрж улсыг сонгожээ.
Тэрээр “Блэк Фортресс” багт нэгдэх нь мэргэжлийн сагсан бөмбөгчийн хувьд талбай дээр гарах хамгийн сүүлийн тохиолдол байх болно гэдгийг онцолсон байна. “Би сагсан бөмбөгийн спортыг түгээн дэлгэрүүлэхээр ирж байна. Энэ бол та бүхний намайг талбай дээр харах сүүлчийн удаа байх болно” хэмээн тэрээр мэдэгджээ.
Дуайт Хауард NBA-д 18 улирлын турш тоглохдоо Орландо Мэжик, Лос Анжелес Лэйкерс, Хьюстон Рокетс, Атланта Хоукс, Шарлотт Хорнетс, Вашингтон Уизардс, Филадельфи 76ерс багуудад хүчин зүтгэж, 2020 онд Лэйкерсийн бүрэлдэхүүнд NBA-ийн аварга болж байв. 2003 оны NBA Draft-ын тэргүүн сонголтоор тодорч байсан тэрээр NBA-ийн бүх оддын тоглолтод найман удаа сонгогдож, шилдэг хамгаалагчаар гурван жил дараалан нэрлэгдэж байсан түүхтэй. Тэрээр 2022 онд NBA-ийг орхисноосоо хойш Тайванийн лиг болон бусад улсад тоглож байсан туршлагатай юм.
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Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dwight Howard isn’t done playing basketball. The 40-year-old center is signing with Black Fortress Tbilisi of the Georgian A-League, according to the team’s Instagram account.
Howard, who hails from Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, set his sights on the southwest Asian country of Georgiadespite having announced his retirement in March.
In a previous Instagram post, Howard — who has played internationally since he left the NBA in 2022 — asked his followers to comment with the flag of a country he should play in for his next destination. Georgia ended up as the selection.
“Georgia, I’ll be on my way! Not my hometown, Atlanta, Georgia, but Tbilisi, Georgia!” Howard wrote in the caption of the post announcing his signing. “I saw all your flags in the comments on my last post and decided that’s where we should take the journey!”
Tbilisi is the nation’s capital.
Howard indicated in the video announcing his signing that this would be the last time he took the court professionally. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 before he announced his initial retirement from basketball in a post on X in March.
Black Fortress plays in the second division of Georgian basketball, with the Georgian Superliga being the top of the pyramid in Georgia.
“I’m coming here to spread the game of basketball, the game that I love,” Howard said in Thursday’s video. “I cannot wait to start with the Black Fortress team, baby. Hey, we breaking everything down.
“Want to let y’all know this is the last time that y’all gonna see your boy on the court. But I will see you guys. You will see me for the last and first time on the court.”
Howard was selected with the No. 1 pick out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.
In eight seasons in Orlando, he led the Magic to the playoffs five straight seasons, including an NBA Finals appearance in 2009, and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year three consecutive seasons starting with the 2008-09 campaign.
Over the course of 18 NBA seasons, which included stints with the Los Angeles Lakers (three times), Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers, he was an eight-time All-NBA selection, eight-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive pick. He also won an NBA championship in the 2020 bubble with the Lakers.
He last played in the NBA in 2022 before beginning a globetrotting career overseas, playing for the Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League from 2022 to 2023. He signed with a team in Puerto Rico but never played and joined an exhibition in Dubai in 2024 and had another short stint in Taiwan.
