“He was a bus rider,” Shaquille O’Neal said of Dwight Howard‘s championship win with the Lakers in 2020. In the same breath, he had praised JaVale McGee. The 4x NBA champion has always been quite harsh while criticizing the former Orlando Magic player, who was also drafted as the No. 1 pick, and this feud between the two has been going on for a long time. It even led to O’Neal publicly claiming that he would never talk about Howard again. But here we are! As the Lakers legend made a new gesture, it has sparked interesting speculations.
The 3x DPOY was inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame. And this year, he will also be honored with the Naismith Hall of Fame. As per ESPN‘s Shams Charania, the former Magic player was elected as a first-ballot member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
The Lakers legend, who always finds new ways to tease Howard, was also quick to share the news. He reshared the post on his IG story, however, with no other message or emoji that shows how he really feels about it. But is this a positive sign? After years of beefing, is O’Neal finally ready to let go? All we know is that Howard, too, has reached out to squash the beef.
Few moments later, the 8x NBA All-Star called on Shaq to be his presenter for the Hall of Fame event. “I want KG , Shaq, and Kareem to walk me out,” Howard wrote on X.
Fans are certainly thrilled at the prospect. After all, it has been more than a decade. Netizens got the brunt of it witnessing the two star’s back and forth quite often on social media.
Dwight Howard called out Shaquille O’Neal for being “insecure”
During his appearance on a segment of Ray Daniels’ The GAUDs Show, the 3x DPOY expressed how he sometimes got upset with Shaq’s remarks. He claimed that he often tried to talk to ‘Big Aristotle’ to squash the beef, but those efforts were in vain. He also frustratingly expressed what he needed to do to end the feud.
In response to the Orlando Magic player’s comment, the 4x NBA champ took it all the way to X. “@DwightHoward the fact u think I care about u is funny, but I won’t ever bring your name up again sensitive big man… Won’t ever say your name again ever again. Have a great day and now u have been deleted,” O’Neal wrote on X.
And this time, the former Magic player didn’t hold back. In response to Shaq’s comment, he argued over how ‘Big Aristotle’ is upset over the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest. In that contest, Howard wore the Superman cape and made the iconic dunk. And the Los Angeles Lakers legend who is called as ‘Superman’ by fans wasn’t too pleased. And since then, it’s been rare to see the big man appreciating Howard.
Back when Howard had a thunderous performance in Taiwan, O’Neal didn’t appreciate it much, claiming that he was just doing what he was supposed to. However, it seems he is now ready to acknowledge Howard’s legacy. What do you think?
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