Dwight Howard is unhappy.
The former NBA star is now embroiled in a heated contract negotiation battle with the Taoyuan Leopards of Taiwan’s T1 League.
Howard claims team management offered him a contract worth 65 percent less than the one he played last season.
“I felt this was very disrespectful,” he told Taiwanese news outlet TVBS. “I felt I brought value to the team. I was so disappointed… I felt like I deserved more.”
In his first season with the Panthers, Howard, 37, has been visibly impressive.
The accomplished big man averaged 23 points, 16 rebounds and five assists with the club.
His season in Taiwan included some impressive accomplishments, most notably when he scored 38 points, 25 rebounds, nine rebounds and nine assists in his debut of the season.
Despite his best efforts, the Panthers were still horrible as a team, and Howard lost time due to an injury.
Howard played in two-thirds of the team’s games, and the Leopards sat in the basement, finishing a league-worst 6-24.
The team’s CEO said that Howard’s lost time played a role in being offered the team’s management contract.
Leopards CEO Chang Chien-Wei said the team has been calculating salaries in a new way this season, taking into account games played and adding incentives based on team performance, a format he said would be “mutually beneficial,” according to Taiwan News. .
Howard, an eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, isn’t ruling out an NBA comeback either.
He told the Sacramento Observer last week that he would like to be on the Kings list.
