Dwight Howard has said that he is ready to move into pro wrestling and join WWE if he doesn’t get the chance to play basketball in 2022. Howard has revealed it in person after appearing at the WWE SummerSlam Tryout in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday, July 29.
On that day, Howard, a famous pro wrestling fan, became a surprise participant in the trial held at The Wildhorse Saloon. Howard took part in performance evaluations, individual and group promo evaluations, in-ring technical sessions, as well as interviews which were part of the pilot process.
In front of the executive vice president of WWE talent relations & head of creative, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, Howard disguised himself as Sho’nuff who was the antagonist in the movie The Last Dragon (1985).
Howard’s desire to join WWE
In the performance, Howard expressed his gratitude and love for wrestling. He said, “I love WWE, I love wrestling. I am grateful and grateful for being given the opportunity to be at this event.”
He also added that he hoped to be able to really stand in the wrestling ring and win a championship belt in the future.
Howard’s appearance in the test camp drew positive reactions from various parties. He even received various compliments from the crowd who attended the arena as well as his fans on social media.
This made Howard even more convinced to join the WWE. To sports reporter Arash Markazi, Howard said, “I legally want to join WWE one day. I’m serious about joining this company.”
His desire was reinforced by his activities in the program in which he spent five hours. Not only did he appear as a surprise participant, but Howard also met several coaches and other participants to ask how to give the correct shot in the ring.
Howard also said that he would be attending the WWE SummerSlam at Nissan Stadium this Saturday. He revealed this through his Instagram upload by saying, “What should my future wrestling name be?”
Howard’s basketball career
Previously, Howard was the forward-center of the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2021-22 season. The 6-foot-10 and 265 pounds player was the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, having finished his 18th season in the NBA.
In the 2021-22 season, Howard managed to average 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 60 games. Throughout his career, he was able to score 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 1,242 games.
During his time in the NBA, Howard has won one NBA Champion, eight NBA All-Star, five All-NBA First Team Players, and three NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Over the past seven seasons, he has played in different teams before eventually becoming a free agent which made his basketball career less certain.
However, Howard said it was his deepest desire to continue playing in the NBA.
“‘I love basketball, it’s my passion. I still have a few years left. I want to continue playing and finish my career on a high and then move on to WWE,” he remarked.