Dwight Howard Jokes About Facing Shaquille O'Neal in Match at WWE WrestleMania 39

Dwight Howard says he wants to face off with Shaquille O'Neal at WrestleMania 39 to determine the "King of L.A."

WWE is hosting its biggest show of 2023 in April at SoFi Stadium, the home of the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers and Rams. Howard believes it's the perfect opportunity for the former Los Angeles Lakers centers to do battle inside the squared circle.

"Let's go, Shaq. Let's go. ... Superman vs. Superman," Howard said on Wednesday's edition of the Club Shay Shay podcast (4-minute mark of video below).

The eight-time NBA All-Star attended a WWE tryout in July and said he received positive feedback from chief content officer Triple H and co-CEO Stephanie McMahon, who've taken on lead roles in the company following the retirement of longtime chairman Vince McMahon.

"They both was like, 'Dwight had the best promo out of everybody in there. If you call us and wanna come to wrestling, we ready for it,'" Howard said.

Triple H confirmed WWE's interest during a September interview with Sporting News (via Dan Lyons of Sports Illustrated).

"All he's gotta do is call me, and we'll see what can happen," the nine-time WWE champion said. "And if he's willing to put in the grind and the drive that guys like Logan Paul and Bad Bunny and Tyson Fury are willing to put in, then let's go."

For his part, O'Neal is a longtime wrestling fan who's made appearances in WWE, AEW and WCW over the past three decades. That includes competing in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32 in 2016.

The Basketball Hall of Famer was in discussions to take part in a match against Big Show at WrestleMania 33 the following year, but the talks fell apart.

WWE always puts a few celebrity-based matches on the Mania card to attract additional mainstream interest for its annual marquee show.

While some matches have been low-end gimmick entertainment, the company has placed a greater emphasis recently on bringing in celebrities willing to make a serious commitment to put on a show inside the ring.

Two-time Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny was terrific alongside Damian Priest at WrestleMania 37, and YouTube star Logan Paul was impressive at WrestleMania 38. Paul returns Saturday at Crown Jewel to face WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns.

It's unclear whether WWE would be interested in a singles match between Howard and Shaq, but it would fit the Hollywood theme of next year's event.