Dwight Howard hoops it up in China and Taiwan
Orlando Magic all-star center Dwight Howard is keeping busy during the NBA off-season. He’s been touring China and Taiwan in support of the Amway Nutrilite Junior NBA challenge and he’s making a big impact with kids and fans along the way.
The Junior NBA Challenge is a developmental program for seven to 12 year olds in China and Taiwan. Young players representing the cities of Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei, Taiwan will compete against each other in tournaments in Beijing and Taipei later in the summer. The winning team travels to Los Angeles for next year’s NBA All-Star game.
Last week in China, Howard gave basketball clinics to players in Beijing and Shanghai. And he participated in a charity game that donated RMB 150,000 (US$22,183.00) to disabled children.
During May in Taiwan, 3000 players competed against each other to be chosen to take part in this week’s City Camp with Dwight Howard, the second stage of the challenge.
When he arrived in Taiwan on Monday Howard was greeted by the mayor of Taipei and given pineapple cakes that he ate on the spot, much to the delight of all the kids in the crowd. His message to aspiring players? Play hard on the court and work hard in school. A good recipe for success.