The ongoing beef between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard is one of the NBA’s most talked-about rivalries. The two former Los Angeles Lakers stars have exchanged jabs over the years, and Howard recently revealed the origins of their feud with the four-time NBA champion.
While many assumed the bad blood began after Howard’s NBA career ended, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year clarified that the tension dates back to his time with the Orlando Magic.
“I have no idea where it came from,” Howard shared during an appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony. “I’ve seen stuff since I was in Orlando about me trying to take Superman or things like that”.
Howard went on to explain that his “Superman” nickname had nothing to do with copying O’Neal. “But the Superman for me came from all the things I did in the community, me jumping over teammates, me doing stuff in the weight room,” Howard explained. “All these different things was why they was calling me Superman. It wasn’t because I went around boasting about being Superman“.
Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic emerges from a phone booth wearing a Superman cape during the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Howard tried to end the feud
During an appearance on The GAUDs Show, Howard spoke about his efforts to squash the beef with O’Neal. “Never disrespected him,” Howard said. “But he’s always had something to say. There’s times where I’ve gotten upset and I’m like, ‘Yo, Shaq, this gotta stop, man.’ I tried to [talk to him].”
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However, their feud didn’t end there. O’Neal fired back with a pointed response on X (formerly Twitter), where he had the final word. “You need the sit down, u need my validation, I don’t need yours. How will you be remembered? Think about that podcast boy. I have an empire to run. Now leave me, son,” O’Neal wrote.
O’Neal announces he’s done critiquing centers
In a surprising move, O’Neal declared he would stop critiquing modern-day centers. During an episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the Hall of Famer explained his decision.
“Should I stop talking about all the big men? They get sensitive,” O’Neal admitted. “I don’t care about that, but I don’t like going back-and-forth”. He also announced the end of his self-created “Big Man Alliance,” a concept he introduced to celebrate the league’s top centers. “I’m done. I’mma have to turn it over. I’m taking it with me—the Big Man Alliance is no more,” he declared.
