Dwight Howard Reveals Big Compliment From Triple H And Stephanie McMahon

Dwight Howard is again ramping up his intentions to join the WWE, revealing he's long been called by a wrestling-themed nickname.

Howard, the former NBA champion and eight-time All-Star, has repeatedly said this year that he wants to join the WWE and become a wrestler. The latest comment about Howard's future came during an interview Wednesday on Showtime's "All The Smoke" podcast when he told former NBA stars Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that he's loved professional wrestling since he was a kid, and has thought more about becoming one since a brush with the WWE during SummerSlam weekend.

"I would definitely enjoy being a real wrestler," Howard said. "My whole life growing up as a kid, me and my brother wrestled, I played around acting like I was the Hulk, you know what I'm saying? And then my nickname is 'Randy Savage,' so that tells you right there how much I love wrestling."

Howard said he fell in love with the crowd's "atmosphere" during his trip to SummerSlam weekend, adding, "I enjoy entertaining people."

During SummerSlam weekend in July, Howard appeared at a WWE tryout and gave a promo that was widely shared online and led to murmurs about the NBA star's future.

"Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were there," Howard noted. "And they were like, 'That was the best promo of the whole tryout, do you really want to wrestle?' And I was like, I think it'd be great."

Howard recently told TMZ and ESPN he's not just open to wrestling but hopes to become a champion. Meanwhile, Triple H told The Sporting News that Howard has "got my phone number" and that "all he's got to do is call me, and we'll see what can happen."

On "All the Smoke," Barnes pointed out that WrestleMania is in Los Angeles, where Howard last played with the Lakers in 2020.