NBA star Dwight Howard was the talk of the professional wrestling world for a brief moment over the summer. Howard made a surprise appearance at a WWE tryout in Nashville ahead of WWE SummerSlam, hitting the ropes and cutting a promo in front of fellow wrestling hopefuls and members of the wrestling media. Since that audition, chatter revolving around Howard leaping from the blacktop to the squared circle has simmered. That said, Howard’s interest in making wrestling his career at some point in the future remains high.
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Whether that transition comes soon remains to be seen. Speaking with TMZ Sports, Howard clarified that he will take “whatever opportunity is best” regarding his future, whether that be an NBA or WWE contract. As of this writing, Howard is not signed to an NBA team.
“Of course, no doubt,” Howard added in regards to potentially joining World Wrestling Entertainment. “I like wrestling.”
Howard gave fans a taste of what he can bring to the table at the Nashville tryout, both in the ring and on the microphone. The eight-time NBA all-star used an aggressive tone of voice and worked in prop comedy to his promo, which got the applause of those in attendance.
When asked if he would prefer to work as a babyface or as a heel, Howard revealed that he has ambitions to juggle both.
“I would be both,” Howard continued. “I’d be the good guy sometimes and I’d be the bad guy sometimes.”
The interest with Howard and the WWE is a two-way street as well. Speaking to Sporting News, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque emphasized that Howard’s WWE opportunity is a phone call away.
“The ball’s in his court. He came by our tryouts in Nashville, was incredibly entertaining, jumping in promos by himself and then with others — incredibly entertaining,” Levesque said. “So, when he says, ‘Hey, I want to give this a shot,’ he’s got my phone number. All he’s got to do is call me, and we’ll see what can happen.”
NBA stars working with wrestling is nothing new. Legends like Shaquille O’Neal, Dennis Rodman, and Karl Malone have all wrestled matches for promotions like All Elite Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling, while current top players like Giannis Antetokounmpo have made their wrestling fandom loud and clear.
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Howard’s professional wrestling future.
