Dwight Howard, Shaq continue years-long beef
Today at 08:43 PM
Just when you think the neverending beef between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard might be over, it comes back once again to rehash old NBA drama. In this latest installment, he and Shaq shared Instagram comments to X, along with Howard’s recent appearance on the Above The Rim podcast with a caption that read: “The fact that we can’t end this one sided beef is petty.”
“I’m saying, what was I doing? Why do I have to ask (Shaq)? Not Warner Brothers? They own the ****ing rights to **** Superman!”
The fact that we can't end this one sided beef is petty. pic.twitter.com/r4BItzQzvW
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) September 27, 2024
Earlier this year, Howard clarified on the OG’s Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller that he has tried to end the beef many times.
"There hasn’t been a time where Shaq has just reached out like that. I’ve reached out to Shaq myself on multiple occasions because I’m like 'what’s the issue?’ Like, I understand the competitive side, but we don’t even compete against each other, and it’s like two different two different stratospheres. Like, he played, he did his thing, nobody’s ever taken that away, and I did my thing. I have reached out to him, and I would like for us to have some type of, you know, relationship.
Life is too short and for us to be who we are, there's no way we shouldn't be able to work together in any capacity."
In January, Howard tweeted, “I never had a problem with you so we can finally end this as adults ”
Shaq replied, “nope lol”
The Shaq-Howard beef origin story
While Shaq may go back to Howard’s homage as Superman as the genesis of the beef, it now seems as though the underlying theme with O’Neal’s beefs has to do with his perception of players. Like Ben Simmons’ lack of confidence or Rudy Gobert’s “soft” style, O’Neal clashes with Howard’s style of play, perhaps even the way he carries himself. The Superman outfit at the dunk contest may have been the genesis of the beef, along with the comparisons like their shared Orlando Magic to Los Angeles Lakers career path.
We forget the year Shaq and Howard made the 2007 All-Star team and had a little impromptu dance-off. At that time, O’Neal was still close to the top of his game and coming off his fourth NBA title with the Miami Heat. There didn’t appear to be any problems at that time.
But the twilight of Shaq’s career came fast, right around when Howard’s career took off. By 2008, the Heat traded Shaq to the Suns and he was playing less than 30 minutes per game. By the time of the 2010 dunk contest and Howard’s Superman costume, O’Neal probably grew tired of the questions from the media about a torch passing, just as his own game was slowing down.
How did that beef persist for more than a decade? That’s a question only Shaq can answer.
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