A Hall of Famer, an NBA champion and an eight-time All-Star plays his first game on Georgian soil on October 10, 2026, in the black and copper of Black Fortress.
Dwight Howard is coming to Tbilisi. The 40-year-old center, one of the most dominant big men of his generation, makes his debut for Black Fortress Tbilisi on October 10. It is the first time an NBA legend of his stature has signed to play club basketball in Georgia, and the deal was brought to the country by Spectra, Georgia’s first sports marketing agency.
A Hall of Fame career
Howard arrives with one of the deepest résumés in modern basketball. He went first overall in the NBA Draft, was an eight-time All-Star, earned five All-NBA selections and won Defensive Player of the Year three seasons in a row. He won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and was recently inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
His last NBA game came with the Lakers in 2022. Since then he has kept playing around the world, with stops in Taiwan, elsewhere in Asia and Dubai, as well as the BIG3 league.
He announced the move in September with a nod to his roots: “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.”
Black Fortress: new to the top flight, thinking big
Black Fortress Tbilisi now enters its first season in the Georgian Super League. Black Fortress is arriving with a Hall of Famer.
The signing fits a bigger ambition: to turn a home game into an event. The club is building a fan experience around its Fan ID, with every-game prize draws, gameday activations and digital features for supporters.
Brought by Spectra
The move was made possible by Spectra, which calls itself Georgia’s first sports marketing agency. Spectra works across sports marketing, sponsorship, activation events and digital marketing, and Howard’s arrival is its most visible statement so far.
The idea behind it is simple. Georgian sport has the talent and the passion; what it needs are the moments that make the world pay attention. Bringing a global name to a Tbilisi court is exactly that kind of moment, for the club, its sponsors and the league.
Debut night: October 10
Howard plays his first game in Georgia on Saturday, October 10, 2026. Black Fortress is treating it as a night to remember, not just a game on the calendar.
- A car raffle for fans in the arena
- A 10,000 GEL giveaway
- Prize draws through the Black Fortress Fan ID: sign up, check in at the game, and you’re in the draw
The venue, tip-off time and ticket details are still to be confirmed. Follow Black Fortress and What About for updates.
A new chapter for Georgian basketball
Georgia has long produced players who go on to the NBA and the EuroLeague. Now the traffic is running the other way: a Hall of Famer is choosing Tbilisi. For the Super League, it means global headlines. For the fans, it means a chance to see a true legend up close. For Black Fortress, it is the loudest possible way to announce its arrival in the top flight.
On October 10, the fortress opens its gates.