American bastketball legend Dwight Howard was one of 12 players ejected from a game in the Taiwanese league for getting involved in a full-blown fist fight. Howard's Taoyuan Leopards squared off against the Taiwan Beer HeroBears and thing got ugly when Chen Hsiao-jung, Howard's teammate, hit Chiang Yu-an with an elbow. The HeroBears skipper quickly retaliated with a punch as both tried to knock each other out. While the referee tried to stop them, one of the assistant coaches from the HeroBears went after Chen, resulting in a massive brawl.
Howard, the eight-time NBA all-star, was ejected for playing his part in the brawl, along with 11 other players.
After the brawl, the match was delayed for minutes as the officials went through the footage to decide which players should be ejected from the match.
Eventually, the referee sent off seven Leopards players and five from HeroBears.
Howard, who was signed for a salary for close to a million dollars reportedly, protested the decision to eject him, arguing that he was trying to stop the brawl.
Leopards eventually defeated the HeroBears 120-108, with the former Houston Rockets star scoring 28 points and 14 rebounds, apart from seven assists.
The 37-year-old has a number of NBA records, playing for a host of teams including the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Howard was the first overall pick by Orlando Magic during the 2004 NBA Draft Pick. During his eight-year spell in Florida, Howard was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year three times.