Superman’s latest flight took him halfway across the world. After an uncertain free agency, superstar former NBA center Dwight Howard finally and surprisingly settled on Taiwan’s T1 League, where the Taoyuan Leopards have welcomed him with open arms and plenty of photographs.
In the two weeks since the team announced their latest addition, Taiwanese media and fans have barely been able to contain their excitement. A livestreamed video of Howard visiting a Taoyuan night market and trying chicken butt on a stick (“This is some good-ass chicken!”) not only got thousands of views and extensive media coverage in Taiwan, but also the attention of US sports media such as Bleacher Report.
The Leopards — who are looking for a turnaround after finishing fifth out of six teams last season — sold out 60,000 tickets to four home games within 10 minutes of opening sales after the announcement, and are adding special courtside seats to meet surging demand.
More than 15,000 of those fans got what they hoped for on Saturday, when Howard in his debut contributed 38 points, 25 rebounds and nine assists in a dramatic come-from-behind win against the New Taipei CTBC DEA. Despite posting another impressive 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds on Sunday, Howard could not help the Leopards pull out another win, as fatigue began to show after a taxing 91 minutes on the court.
While Howard is by far the biggest star to be nabbed by a Taiwanese basketball franchise, the nation’s three leagues are no strangers to NBA talent. To keep play competitive for homegrown players, the T1 League, P.League+ and Super Basketball League cap the number of imported players allowed on each team, as well as salaries. The latter rule was lifted in this special case, raising the question of whether the same might be done for other marquee signings. The answer could come soon, as other franchises are reportedly trying to woo Enes Kanter Freedom, Isaiah Thomas and Carmelo Anthony.
Taiwan’s rising status as a destination for former NBA players is a benefit to all involved. Basketball fans in Taiwan get a chance to see their favorite players in action wearing their hometown colors. Players can take advantage of Taiwan’s famously safe and friendly way of life. Howard, when announcing his move, said he chose Taiwan for its enthusiastic fan base, which he got a chance to meet in his three previous promotional tours here.
Taiwan also provides the chance for players to make a statement with their semi-retirement. Many players jump around teams to pick up hefty paychecks in China, Turkey, Russia and elsewhere. Although the pay might not be as competitive, a stint in Taiwan sends a message that some things are more important than money, while also providing a better overall experience.
For Taiwanese basketball, the benefits are obvious. The P.League+ and T1 are both new, having been founded in 2020 and last year respectively. There is nothing better than a marquee signing to get butts in seats and hopefully lift the quality of play.
Perhaps the biggest winner is Taiwan, whose night markets and hot-pot joints are getting play on international sports news. Having a top player like Howard say repeatedly how much he loves Taiwan and its fans casts the nation in the kind of light that tourism promotions cannot, showing people abroad what it is really like here through the eyes of a sports star.
While hopefully other exciting players come in the near future, it is also crucial for the leagues to balance their signings. Salary races to the top have ruined small leagues when those holding the pocketbooks see just how much their passion project has cost them. Yet as long as their guardrails hold, Taiwan can look forward to some exciting basketball, as well as closer and more meaningful international ties.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of