FLE–LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dwight Howard #39 before Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals on September 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
Dwight Howard continues to lure NBA players fresh from their playoff exits to play in Taiwan.
This time, it was Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James who got the recruitment pitch from the former NBA player, who is currently suiting up in Taiwan’s T1 League.
In a live video, Howard was seen making a fake call to James, whose season ended on Tuesday (Manila time) after the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Western Conference Finals.
“We got purple and gold jerseys. I got one right here, it’s white. We got purple gold though. Nobody got No. 6. You can [have] that,” Howard was heard saying as he pretended to be on a call.
“You done playing in the league for 35 years, you done broke every record. You LeGOAT, LeGOAT. You can be the LeGM over here, LeCoach, you can be LeTrainer. You can be LeCook, LeDriver.”
"You can be the LeGM over here."
Dwight Howard really called LeBron to recruit him to play in Taiwan 🤣
(via @DwightHoward, qolua/TT) pic.twitter.com/LIdNVzvppX
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 24, 2023
In the aftermath of the Lakers’ playoff exit, reports said that LeBron is mulling retirement after 20 years in the league.
An exasperated James hinted that he had decisions to make after the Lakers failed to make it to the NBA Finals again.
“I don’t get a kick out of making a Conference (finals) appearance. I’ve done it, a lot. And it’s not fun to me to not be able to be a part of getting to the Finals,” LeBron said in the post-game press conference after the 113-111 loss in Game 4.
“But we’ll see. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens going forward. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about to be honest.”
King we can remake this commercial here in Taiwan though 😂 pic.twitter.com/3MFJm2FiKV
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) May 19, 2023
The eight-time NBA All-Star Howard has been jokingly asking players to come and join him in Taiwan after their playoff stints had wrapped up.
“Jordan Poole, come on! Julius Randle, come on! Ben Simmons, come on, man,” said Howard said in a previous video. “Klay, you can slide down here too, my boy. Deandre Ayton, you and CP3 (Chris Paul) come on. KD (Kevin Durant)? Come on, KD!”
The Warriors, Suns and the Knicks were eliminated in the Conference Finals while the Nets exited in the first round of the playoffs.
Howard also gave a shoutout to Ja Morant after Grizzlies’ star was seen again flashing a gun in an Instagram Live video, months after he was suspended eight games “for conduct detrimental to the league.”
“Aye Ja you gone get it right ! I’m still with you if anyone else ain’t you could come out here to Taiwan if anything ✊🏾 just leave it home,” Howard tweeted.
Aye Ja you gone get it right ! I’m still with you if anyone else ain’t you could come out here to Taiwan if anything ✊🏾 just leave it home
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) May 16, 2023
Howard, who last played in the NBA with the Lakers in the 2021-2022 season with LeBron, signed on to play for the Taoyuan Leopards in November.