NBA legend Dwight Howard and 11 other players were booted from the Taiwanese basketball league after an on-court incident

12 players, including American basketball legend Dwight Howard, were dismissed from a match in the Taiwanese league after engaging in a full-fledged fist fight. When Howard’s Taoyuan Leopards played the Taiwan Beer HeroBears, things quickly turned heated when Chen Hsiao-jung, another player on Howard’s team, elbowed Chiang Yu-an. While they each attempted to knock each other out, the HeroBears captain immediately countered with a punch. One of the HeroBears assistant coaches attacked Chen while the referee tried to stop them, sparking a huge melee.

A brawl broke out in Taiwan's T1 League as Taoyuan Leopards guard Chen Hsiao-jung elbowed TaiwanBeer HeroBears guard Chiang Yu-an in the face.

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Eight-time NBA all-star Howard was dismissed from the game along with 11 other players for his involvement in the altercation.

The action was postponed after the fight for a few minutes while the referees watched the video to determine which players needed to be removed from the game.

In the end, five HeroBears players and seven Leopards players were dismissed by the referee.

Howard, who reportedly signed a contract for a salary of close to a million dollars, contested the decision to expel him, claiming that he was attempting to break up the altercation.

The former Houston Rockets player scored 28 points and 14 rebounds in the Leopards’ 120-108 victory over the HeroBears. He also had seven assists.

The 37-year-old played for a variety of NBA clubs, including the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers, setting a number of records along the way.

Orlando Magic selected Howard with the first overall choice in the 2004 NBA Draft. Howard won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award three times while he spent his eight years in Florida.