NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member Dwight Howard has arrived in Mongolia for the second time.

Now 40, Howard has come this time to play for the SG Apes in the 2026-2027 season of the Mongolian Basketball League. Standing 208 cm tall, Howard was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Over his NBA career, Howard also played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets, averaging 15.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. He won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020 and was selected to eight All-Star Games over the course of his career. He ranks 10th in NBA history in total rebounds and 13th in total blocks, was named to the All-NBA First Team five times, and was voted Defensive Player of the Year three times. Howard also won an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. Most recently, he played for the Taoyuan Leopards of Taiwan's T1 League during the 2022-2023 season.

Howard first visited Mongolia in 2011 and is now meeting Mongolian basketball fans again 15 years later, this time arriving in the country as a league player himself. On September 9 at 19:00, he will take part in a preseason game between the SG Apes and Selenge Bodons at M Bank Arena.

Published Date:2026-09-07