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Dwight Howard is continuing his unusual global basketball journey. The former NBA draft's number one overall pick and one of the best centers of his generation will play in Georgia starting in October, bolstering the Black Fortress Tbilisi squad. Howard announced his arrival via a social media post, using a play on words related to his birthplace. He was born in the U.S. state of Georgia, but his new stint will take him to the country of the same name, located on the border of Europe and Asia.
"Georgia, here I come! I don't mean my hometown of Atlanta. Just wait for October, when we'll set the court on fire with Black Fortress," Howard said. Details regarding the contract duration and salary have not yet been disclosed. Black Fortress achieved promotion to top tier of Georgia's basketball after winning the title as champions of the nation's second tier. It is certain, however, that the 40-year-old center is not yet ready to step away from the court for good.
Fresh off meeting his new Los Angeles Lakers teammates in Slovenia, Sandro Mamukelashvili helped Georgia overcome Israel, 101–90, in Otar Korkia and Nodar Jorjikia Tbilisi Sports Palace on Sunday.
Goga Bitadze spearheaded the assault with 22 points, while Mamukelashvili showcased his versatile inside-out skill set to finish with 20. Tornike Shengelia provided elite support with 17 points and nine rebounds. In a losing effort, Roman Sorkin logged a game-high 25 points.
New Los Angeles Lakers big man Sandro Mamukelashvili headlines Georgia's preliminary national-team roster for the FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers alongside EuroLeague star Tornike Shengelia and Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze.
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Law Murray 📘: SGA on Rockets/Lakers: "It'll either be the Lakers or Houston… each pose their challenges. Houston more defensive and Lakers more offensive. But they're both really good teams and to make it out that series…you have to do a lot of things right. So we won't take them lightly"
A Georgia man is accused of a fraud and sex trafficking scheme that involved the identity of an adult star to target professional athletes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia says Kwamaine Ford is charged with wire fraud, computer fraud, identify theft, sex trafficking and more. Investigators say Ford, of Buford, posed as a well known adult film star, offering to send explicit videos to NBA and NFL players. He is also accused of spoofing Apple customer service accounts to obtain usernames and passwords to supposedly access the videos.
Sandro Mamukelashvili: “I would say, first, I want to play in Europe. I want to finish my career there. I want to live there most of the time, and hopefully, once I have kids, I want them to go over there with me and experience those emotions—being close to home, having it be easier for my parents to fly in, and easier for my friends to come visit. As far as developing basketball in Georgia, that is one of my goals. I think Zaza jump-started something amazing by creating his own academy. He does an amazing job developing kids, but I think there is still so much more to do, even on the professional level. We have a good league, and it is developing, but I think we can do so much better and grow it even more. There are kids who love basketball and want to become basketball players, and I think doing summer camps, bringing in coaches, and showing more of the talent level we have in Georgia will hopefully help us continue to develop.”
Dwight Howard: So Thank you to all my fans and supporters throughout this journey I love and appreciate yall dearly because without yall it would be no me! Also thank you to the Naysayers, the haters, the snakes, and people that came into my life to try to destroy me. Because everytime yall did …it only made me stronger. When my documentary releases this year the world will know the truth about EVERYTHING! Then you will see how the sheltered little boy from college park Georgia who went to the same school from pre-k to 12th grade then straight to the NBA was taken advantage of by the world. But through it all still managed to keep SMILING 🙏🏾😁 & Since I didn’t get a chance to ever have a farewell tour I decided to create a tour not for fans to appreciate me but for me to appreciate them for supporting me all these years and giving me a reason to smile doing what I love Every 12th of the month from now on will be D12 day where I visit cities all over the world and do acts of kindness for random to people to give them a reason to Smile 😊
Jorge Sierra: In Georgia, where do you think you rank in terms of popularity among athletes? It's probably the soccer guy from PSG first and then you? Goga Bitadze: No, I'm last. Jorge Sierra: You're last? Goga Bitadze: Yeah, 100 percent. They don't like me back in my country. So yeah, I'm probably the last guy.
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“We know GA. We know he’s here for us. He loves the city. He loves the team. We love him,” Green said. “We’re gonna play for him. He’s gonna play for us. “So, people are going to say whatever, outside noise, but we know what it is inside this locker room and the relationship we got and the team we got, so we’re just gonna continue to run with that and trust it.”
USA Basketball today announced the 12-man roster and coaching staff for the November 2025 USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team, which will play Nicaragua in Managua, Nicaragua, and in College Park, Georgia, on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1, respectively. The 12 athletes slated to compete for the USA have professional experience in the NBA, NBA G League and internationally with six players having prior USA Basketball experience. The November 2025 USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team includes MarJon Beauchamp, Pedro Bradshaw, Garrison Brooks, Torrey Craig, Kessler Edwards, Kyle Guy, Nate Hinton, Brandon Knight, Jaden Shackelford, Javonte Smart, Jeremiah Tilmon and Ryan Woolridge.
The Spurs selected Castle with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft out of Connecticut. The Covington, Georgia, native averaged 14.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game in 81 games during the 2024-25 season. A global media panel of 100 voters chose Castle as NBA Rookie of the Year after he received 92 first-place votes, seven second-place votes and one third-place vote, giving him a total of 482 points. “It meant a lot. I put a lot of work in going into last [season],” Castle said. “So, to have that award, that took a lot of pressure off my shoulders. Now, I can just go out there and hoop.”
A $180,000 Range Rover customized for NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal was stolen in Georgia earlier this month, and law enforcement is still on the hunt for it. The Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office in northeast Georgia said investigators believe the SUV was taken from a local fabrication business and brought to the metro Atlanta area last week. The car was supposed to be transported to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the basketball star to use while he was in town for a Louisiana State University game, but it never arrived, CBS News Atlanta reported.