Dwight Howard Signs with Black Fortress Tbilisi After Brief Retirement

After a short-lived retirement, Dwight Howard is making a comeback to professional basketball. The former NBA star, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025, will be joining Black Fortress Tbilisi in the Georgian Super League.

Howard, who will turn 41 in December, announced his new team on social media, clarifying that he will be playing in Tbilisi, Georgia, not his hometown of Atlanta. He expressed excitement about the move and his desire to spread the love of basketball.

The Georgian Super League may not be among the top-tier overseas leagues, but it marks another chapter in Howard's extensive basketball journey. Black Fortress recently earned promotion to the league's top division after competing in the second tier.

Before this latest signing, Howard had a busy post-NBA career. He played for the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan's T1 League, where he averaged impressive stats, and also participated in international tournaments in the Philippines and Taiwan. Additionally, he joined the Los Angeles Riot in the BIG3 league in 2025.

Howard's NBA career spanned 18 seasons, starting with the Orlando Magic, where he was the first overall pick in the 2004 draft. He was an eight-time All-Star and won three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2009 to 2011, solidifying his legacy as one of the league's top players.