Shaquille O’Neal Felt Disrespected in Ex-Wife Shaunie’s Presence After Dwight Howard Sent the Wrong Message

The world of sports is full of feuds, especially in the NBA. From Jordan vs. Isiah to Draymond vs. Dillon Brooks, rivalries keep the league spicy. But few NBA rivalries have dragged on as long—or taken more bizarre turns—than the one between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard. It’s dragged on for so many years, some have forgotten why it even started. Earlier this year, Howard aired his frustrations, claiming Shaq still takes shots at him—even when he stays silent..

Shaq once publicly vowed to never mention Dwight Howard’s name again. He made that vow online for the world to see. But when a joke on Inside the NBA touched his nerve, Shaq couldn’t resist firing back. This sent Howard to Twitter with a sharp jab: “Glad you kept your promise .” Clearly, old wounds hadn’t healed. Shaq’s pride and Dwight’s confusion continued to clash like two bulls in a small ring. However, this long-standing beef between them seems to be finally heading towards its conclusion!

Despite all the smoke, the two finally decided to sit down face to face. During The Big Podcast with Shaq, they tackled the root of it all. As the conversation shifted from topic-to-topic, the duo soon reached the core reason for the beef. What’s that? Turns out, it was never meant to be a rivalry at all! Shaquille O’Neal recalls, “I’m sitting there with my ex-wife, and you put on the Superman cape. I thought you was paying homage to me…” Shaq’s ex-wife, Shaunie, being there made it feel like a public slap rather than a tribute. And that was start of the misunderstanding. What began as admiration turned into something deeply personal. For Shaq, it wasn’t just about a nickname.

Feb 15, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Lakers player Dwight Howard puts on a Superman costume in the slam dunk contest during NBA All Star Saturday Night at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

To Shaquille o’Neal, if you’re going to take on the nickname, you better earn the right to carry it! Shaq admitted he thought Dwight was trying a classic karate flick move—where the student has to take down the master to ascend. That’s why he said, “The young student must someday kill the f**** master to become the master.” But even then, he expected more. “That ain’t enough,” Shaq said about Dwight’s stats. “You need to get 25-15.” Instead of rising, Dwight messaged him, calling him a hater, and that only added fuel to the fire.

Despite their history, Shaq advised Dwight to ignore the critics. Maybe that’s the most honest advice from this mess. In a league full of egos and expectations, sometimes the loudest fight is the one nobody really wanted to have.

The real reason behind Dwight Howard donning the Superman Cape

While Shaq took the cape as a bold challenge, it turns out Dwight’s reason was hilariously simple. When asked about it, he explained, “It’s crazy ’cause the Superman was about Soulja Boy.” The idea was born out of practice hype and locker room energy, not a rivalry. His teammates pushed him after a wild dunk over Bo Outlaw.

Dwight recalled, “So when I was in practice, I used to always play the song. I played Soulja Boy all the time. And right before that dunk practice, I had jumped over Bo Outlaw and dunked it. And so everybody was like, ‘Man, you should put a cape on and jump from the free throw line. You be flying when you dunk. And you always be doing the Superman.’” It was a fun idea, it didn’t come to his mind that with this action, he might just end up offending Shaq.

What made it even more surprising was that Shaq himself had encouraged him to open up more during All-Star Weekend. “Then remember we had a conversation about I need to show my personality before All-Star weekend?” Dwight added. That talk became the green light. His cousin took it from there and found a costume, though it came with some issues.

“He find a cape, but he find a whole outfit with the boots and all. But I can’t wear boots in a dunk contest,” Dwight said with a laugh. “So I had to tie it around like a onesie with my shorts and all that. And then I did the dunk.” That cape wasn’t about disrespect, rather, it was a product of fun. He wanted to use the cape to show off his personality. As Dwight summed it up, “My teammates were saying, ‘Man, you always lifting crazy weights, and you always jumping real high. Man, you act like Superman.’” Nothing more, nothing less.

Shaquille O’Neal saw it as an insult. Dwight saw it as a joke. Somewhere in the middle, a rivalry took shape—one that lasted longer than anyone expected. But as the dust settles, one thing is clear: in the NBA, legacies don’t belong to a single player. And perhaps, the real lesson here isn’t about who wore the cape first, but about how long it took to let the past go.

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