The Dwight Howard comeback is officially in motion, at least in his own mind, and the 40-year-old Hall of Famer has picked the Philadelphia 76ers as the team he wants to call. After making his debut for Black Fortress Tbilisi in the Georgian Superleague on Saturday, October 10, Howard posted his highlights on X and tagged the Sixers with a short message: “Philly what we doing.”
Philly what we doing 👀🔥🤣 https://t.co/M0GrC1eQYc
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) October 10, 2026
The highlights were real. Howard finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in 17 minutes, shooting 5 of 8 from the field. His team still lost 75 to 70 to Iverioni, but the stat line was enough to get people talking about whether an NBA door could crack open for a player who has not suited up in the league since 2022.
The timing is what gave the post legs. Howard announced his retirement on March 12, saying he was “taking off the cape and retiring from all basketball to pour into my family and give back to communities worldwide.” He also said “the game retired me,” a line that framed the decision as something that happened to him rather than something he chose. Six months later, he is playing professionally again.
His path back to a basketball court was not the NBA. Howard went to Taiwan in the 2022 to 2023 season after no NBA team offered him a deal, joining the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He averaged 23.2 points and 16.2 rebounds in 20 games and was named the league’s Most Valuable Import. He later described that stretch as “one of the most unforgettable seasons, experiences that I’ve ever had in my life.” He returned to Taiwan in 2024 to play for the Taiwan Mustangs in the Asian Tournament, competed with Strong Group Athletics at the Dubai International Basketball Championship in January 2024, signed with the Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico without ever playing a game for them, and played in the BIG3, where his team reached the semifinals in 2025.
Georgia is the newest stop. Howard signed with Black Fortress in September after polling his Instagram followers about where he should play next, and said in his announcement video, “I’m coming here to spread the game of basketball, the game that I love.” The club was recently promoted to the country’s top division. Financial terms of the deal were not released, which means it is unknown whether the contract lets him leave for the NBA midseason. Any serious Dwight Howard comeback would have to start with that question.
The reason he is aiming at Philadelphia right now is a torn right Achilles. Sixers backup center Ariel Hukporti, who signed a one-year, $3.4 million deal in July, went down in the team’s preseason opener against the Knicks on October 5 and had surgery the next day. He is out for the entire 2026 to 27 season. Howard knows the building. He signed with Philadelphia in November 2020 for the veteran minimum of $2.56 million, one day after tweeting that he was staying with the Lakers and then deleting it, and he played 69 games as Joel Embiid’s backup.
His interest in the Sixers also did not start this month. Over the summer, after LeBron James joined Philadelphia on a minimum contract, Howard posted side-by-side photos of himself in a Sixers jersey and celebrating with James after the 2020 Lakers title, with the caption “Ring Season.” Howard has also said before that watching veterans like Taj Gibson and Al Horford stay in the league is “the reason I ain’t retired,” adding that he wants “a farewell tour.”
Wanting the job and being able to get it are two different things, and the money is the first obstacle. The Sixers are under a hard cap, which is a payroll ceiling a team cannot cross under any circumstance, set this year at the $209.0 million first apron. They sit only $1.8 million below it. According to ESPN, that means they cannot add a player to their open roster spot without either waiving someone or making a small trade to clear room. They are also eligible for a $1.7 million exception tied to Hukporti’s injury, but it does not solve the cap squeeze. Another path is waiting until a prorated minimum contract, which shrinks as the season goes on, costs less than the $1.8 million they have available.
The roster picture is crowded in other ways too. Embiid is the starter, Adem Bona is out with a left foot sprain, and Tacko Fall is dealing with a left hip sprain. Dean Wade, Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker are the remaining frontcourt options. Head coach Nick Nurse said the team does not plan to sign another center in the short term, and no report from the Sixers or a major outlet shows the team has contacted Howard. A Dwight Howard comeback in Philadelphia would also come with questions about fit and age, since he turns 41 on December 8 and would be asked to play a limited role behind an oft-injured star.
So is it possible? Mechanically, yes. Howard would cost the minimum, he has history with the franchise, and the Sixers have a real hole behind Embiid. Realistically, the team has said it plans to work with what it has for now, and one game against Georgian competition will not change how NBA front offices view a player who has been away for more than four years. For now, the Dwight Howard comeback is a pitch and nothing more, and the next move belongs to Philadelphia.
