Shaquille O’Neal has never been a big fan of Dwight Howard, and he continues to make it evident over a decade after his retirement. Howard has not enjoyed the success O’Neal did in his career, but in his prime, he was the league’s premier big man, and the praise lavished on him seemingly got to Shaq a lot.
Shaquille O’Neal was untouchable in his prime, the most dominant force the NBA had ever seen. But his production dropped quite a bit after he left the Los Angeles Lakers and subsequently the Miami Heat. By the time he joined the Boston Celtics for the 2010-11 season, Shaq wasn’t averaging even 10 points per game, but he thought none of the era’s top big men, including Dwight Howard, could take him on (via ESPN).
“I asked: ‘How much do you look forward to the opportunity to go up against guys like Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum in the playoffs?’
“Shaq answered: ‘Excuse me? Don’t ask me a question like that.’
“Me again: ‘But that’s what people want to know. Those guys are playing so well and everyone wants to see if you can match up with them one-on-one.’
“Shaq’s reply: ‘First of all, they won’t dare play me one-on-one, even at the tender age of 39. And you know what? Playin’ those teams, it ain’t gonna be about the [center] matchup, so I don’t really worry about that.'”
Dwight Howard averaged career highs in points and won Defensive Player Of the Year for the 3rd consecutive season in 2010-11. For all that, his Magic team lost in the first round of the playoffs. Shaquille O’Neal played just 12 in those same playoffs and retired after the Heat eliminated the Celtics in the Conference Semifinals.
Could Shaquille O’Neal In His Last Season Have Given Prime Dwight Howard Problems?
Shaquille O’Neal was one of the best big men in NBA history. But on the Celtics, he averaged 9 points and 4 rebounds in the final season of his career. During that time, Dwight Howard averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds per game, so it’s safe to say he was miles ahead of old Shaq.
Considering their work, no one would pick Dwight Howard over Shaquille O’Neal unless they were trolling. But during the 2010-11 season, Howard was unquestionably the better player. O’Neal’s pride would not allow him to admit it, but he would have been light work for Dwight during that time in their careers.
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