Did Dwight Howard reveal his free-agent plans in Mandarin?
Dwight Howard finally sat down for a video interview. Unfortunately it wasn’t in English and didn’t address his free-agent plans.
Or did it?
Released Tuesday by Relativity Sports, Howard and Washington Wizards guard John Wall sit down with Chinese basketball star Yi Jianlian (formerly with the Milwaukee Bucks, then-New Jersey Nets and Wizards) in a clip entitled, “NBA Superstars Speak Mandarin.â€
The trio sit and have a very elementary conversation, with subtitles helping the non-Mandarin-speaking viewer.
“We will see you in China,†said Howard, referring to a summer tour with Adidas with Derrick Rose, Ricky Rubio and Wall.
Howard will also play a scheduled preseason game between the Lakers and Golden State Warriors in China in October, assuming he’s still with the team.
If Howard, who is being courted as a free agent by the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors (among others), leaves the Lakers as a free agent -- he’s not going to be battling Wall and the Wizards in China in October.
Howard is meeting on Tuesday with the Mavericks and Lakers. He’s already sat with the Rockets, Hawks and Warriors. The free agent period began Monday and even though Howard is free to announce his intentions, he cannot sign a contract until the NBA’s moratorium ends on July 10.
A YouTube clip is far from a binding contract, but the timing of its release and message is, if anything, rather odd.
Meanwhile, Wall says in the video this trip to China will be his first excursion outside of the United States -- he must have meant North America given the Toronto Raptors reside in neighboring Canada.
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Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
to a September tour with Adidas with Derrick Rose, Ricky Rubio and Wall.
Howard will also play a scheduled preseason game between the Lakers and Golden State Warriors in China in October, assuming he’s still with the team.
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