Los Angeles Lakers veteran, future Hall-of-Famer, and current free agent Dwight Howard could be done with his career in the NBA and may be taking his unique talents to the world of sports entertainment.
Howard has long been one of the more unique and fun-loving personalities in the league over the last 20 years. He is the largest player to ever win the annual slam dunk contest, and the lengths he went to try and entertain fans during those tournaments are some of the event’s greatest highlights. That goes along with the fact that the eight-time All-Star has had an impressive career and will likely end up in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame one day.
However, over the last five seasons, his career has been in the midst of a steep decline. No longer is he the dominant force he once was or one of the best centers in the NBA. No, at 36 he has been relegated to a rotation player on his last few teams as the insane athleticism he once had has been diminished by the ravages of father time.
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The man once known as D-12 is still a free agent and has yet to be signed by an NBA team. In 2021-2022, despite injuries to star big man Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers did not expand Howard’s role on the team and he only averaged just over 16 minutes a game. It was a clear sign his run in the NBA may soon be at an end after 18 years, and with that reality staring him in the face, it seems that Howard is starting to make plans for life after professional basketball.
Los Angeles Lakers veteran Dwight Howard took part in WWE tryout in July
Before their highly anticipated Summerslam pay-per-view event in Nashville, Tennessee on July 30, WWE conducted open tryouts for athletes, and charismatic individuals looking to break into the professional wrestling business with the top organization in the world. Events such as this are a common practice for the company as they often invite collegiate or former pro athletes to find out if pro wrestling could be their next vocation
- Dwight Howard stats (2021-2022): 16.2 MIN, 6.2 PPG, 5.9 REB, 61% FG
Well, this year Howard saw an opportunity and actually attended the workouts in the hope of joining the promotion that created its own “universe” and form of “sports entertainment.” At the tryout, hopefuls run drills in an official WWE ring and showcase their charisma by presenting their talking skills on an open mic. In the video above, Howard takes to the mic and does a take on popular cult classic movie villain Sho’nuff from “The Last Dragon.”
It is unclear if Howard impressed decision-makers enough to get an invite to the organization’s development center in Florida, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The WWE roster currently includes several former UFC stars like Ronda Rousey and Matt Riddle, and one-time US Olympic wrestler Chad Gable.
They also signed 2021 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Gable Steveson to a developmental deal last year, and two months ago added YouTube influencer turned boxer Logan Paul to their official roster.