Dwight Howard Among 12 People Ejected After On Court Brawl During Taiwan's Basketball League

Former NBA big man Dwight Howard was one of 12 players ejected in a T1 league game between his Taoyuan Leopards and the TaiwanBeer HeroBears in Taiwan on Sunday.

Dwight Howard Among 12 People Ejected After On-Court Brawl During Taiwan’s Basketball League

A full-fledged altercation broke out on the floor with less than a minute remaining in the game when HeroBears captain and point guard Chiang Yu-an was elbowed in the face by Leopards guard Chen Hsiao-jung.

Although players from both teams and referees attempted to separate the two, the guards became intertwined and started punching one other.

Massive brawl in Taiwan 😳 Coach started throwing hands pic.twitter.com/qMK7QboFOy

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 22, 2023

Taiwannews.com reports that HeroBears assistant coach Lin Chieh-ho briefly went onto the floor and charged at Hsiao-jung. Hsiao-jung swung back before the officials could step in because the coach was unable to make contact with him.

In the video of the altercation, Howard can be seen standing on the sidelines and appearing to mediate the peace. Prior to being ejected from the game, the eight-time NBA All-Star was spotted chatting to someone while holding out his arms.

Players and staff from both teams intervened to defuse the altercation as it spread over the floor.

Dwight getting chippy in Taiwan 👀

(via biber168/IG) pic.twitter.com/jMIABappkh

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 20, 2022

According to reports, the game was postponed for more than 20 minutes as the officials assessed penalties and watched replays. In the end, 12 players—5 HeroBears and 7 Leopards—were thrown.

Howard allegedly protested that he was unjustly expelled from the game and claimed that he had been attempting to break up the fight. He and a few of his colleagues were spotted giving supporters high fives as they left the court.

Before being sent off, Howard had 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. Ultimately, the Leopards overcame the HeroBears 120–108.

Dwight Howard gets ejected after a fight broke out in the T1 League in Taiwan.@DwightHoward got tossed for leaving the team bench. pic.twitter.com/rXTn2zI2D6

— PBA insider 🏀 (@PBAinsider) February 22, 2023

Howard signed with the Leopards in November, following 18 NBA seasons. He last played for the Lakers in the 2021-22 season, and won a championship alongside LeBron James in the 2020 NBA bubble season.

The T1 League was founded in 2021.