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.
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.
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.
Howard joined the Taoyuan Leopards of Taiwan’s T1 League for the 2022-23 season, averaging 23.2 points, 16.2 rebounds and five assists per game.
He later played for the Philippines-based Strong Group Athletics in the 2024 Dubai International Basketball Championship and joined the Taiwan Mustangs in the Asian Tournament later that year.
Howard also signed with the Mets de Guaynabo of Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional in 2024, although he never appeared in a game for the league.
His stateside basketball career continued in 2025 when he joined the Los Angeles Riot of Ice Cube’s BIG3.
Howard was selected first overall by the Magic in the 2004 NBA Draft and spent 18 seasons in the league, earning eight All-Star selections and eight All-NBA honors.
At his peak, he was one of the best players in the league and the focal point of the Magic’s 2008-09 team that made the NBA Finals.
He won three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2009 through 2011 and was named All-Defense on five occasions, including four first-team honors from 2009 to 2012.
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