Former NBA star Dwight Howard battles the 7ft 5 giant in the Taiwanese league

DWIGHT Howard fought in his third appearance for the Taoyuan Leopards in a matchup with 7-foot-5 Tainan TSG GhostHawks center Sim Bhullar.

Howard has played for the Taiwan team since November after not signing with an NBA team for the 2022-23 season.

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Videos of the former Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets star’s Leopards debut went viral back in November, when he finished with 38 points, 25 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks.

The 37-year-old filled his highlight reel with fadeaway jump shots, 3-pointers and flashy pick-and-roll play.

The following day, however, he sustained a knee injury in a clash with Taichung Suns that ruled him out of the Leopards’ next two games.

Howard’s return came on December 16 against the GhostHawks, with Bhullar coming off the bench to support Robert Upshaw III.

The New Mexico State alum’s on-court experience was nothing like Howard’s — highlights on his resume included under three minutes in three appearances for the 2014-15 Sacramento Kings and a season with the Raptors 905 in the G League.

Still, the Canadian – who notably played on his debut for the Kings as the first-ever player of Indian descent in the NBA – caused plenty of trouble for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year as he helped Tainan rack up an 87-78 win.

Even when facing Howard, videos show Bhullar barely had to jump to finish lob passes with layups as he towered over the former NBA star’s 6-foot-10 frame.

And he dominated Howard in the post at both ends of the floor.

According to statistics from Taiwan’s T1 League, Bhullar finished the game with 17 points at 85.7% of the field, as well as eight rebounds and two blocks in just over 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Howard went 6-for-12 (50%) to record 16 points, 12 rebounds, an assist and a block over 36 minutes.

Howard ranks in the top 3 for leading scorers, rebounders and assists in the six-team T1 League this season.

However, his Leopards sit bottom in the league with a 1-7 record.

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