Dwight Howard joining team overseas months after announcing retirement

Dwight Howard’s retirement didn’t last long.

It didn’t even last a year.

Six months after announcing that he was stepping away from basketball, the Basketball Hall of Fame center — inducted in 2025 — is returning to the court for another stop in an increasingly well-traveled post-NBA career.

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Howard, who turns 41 in December, will be joining Black Fortress Tbilisi in the Georgian Super League.

No, not the same Georgia where the Atlanta native is from, but the Georgia across the Atlantic, home to — among others — Magic center Goga Bitadze and Lakers forward Sandro Mamukelashvili.

And yes, Howard is aware of the Georgia connection.

“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!”

Dwight Howard speaks onstage at the Above the Rim panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 17, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images for Fanatics

Black Fortress earned promotion to the country’s top division after previously competing in the second tier.

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The GSL is far from being considered one of the premier overseas leagues, a list including Liga ACB in Spain, Serie A in Italy, the NBL in Australia and the French LNB Elite, among others.

Still, Howard will join the GSL as he continues to play pro basketball into his 40s.

“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.”

Howard announced his retirement from basketball in March, saying he wanted to step away from the game and devote more time to his family.

Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers smiles during a game against the Golden State Warriors on April 7, 2022, at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NBAE via Getty Images

It continues a lengthy basketball journey for Howard since his final NBA season with the Lakers in 2021-22.

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Publish date : 2026-09-12 01:59:00

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