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Reading: Paolo Banchero Makes His Pick Between Shaquille O’Neal And Dwight Howard At Their Prime During Their Time With The Magic
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Home > NBA News & Analysis > Paolo Banchero Makes His Pick Between Shaquille O’Neal And Dwight Howard At Their Prime During Their Time With The Magic

Paolo Banchero Makes His Pick Between Shaquille O’Neal And Dwight Howard At Their Prime During Their Time With The Magic

Paolo Banchero was asked who had the greater prime when on the Orlando Magic, Shaquille O'Neal or Dwight Howard.

Gautam Varier
Jun 11, 2023
4 Min Read
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Credit: Fadeaway World

The Orlando Magic haven’t been in the NBA for all that long, as they were only established in 1989 but in that time, they have had some great players suit up for them.

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard are two of them and someone who hopes to one day be mentioned alongside them is Paolo Banchero, who won Rookie of the Year in 2023. Banchero recently sat down for an interview during which he was asked who he’d pick between Shaq and Dwight in their prime, during their days with the Magic.

“That’s a little harder because Dwight Howard was pretty freaking good,” Banchero told Tomer Azarly from Clutch Points. “Um. They both got to a Finals. I have to give the slight edge to Shaq because he has a lot of the records also Dwight does have some records as well. But I think Shaq came out dominating quicker as a rookie, so I give it to Shaq.”

O’Neal certainly would have loved to hear that, considering his beef with Howard.

If you consider their overall careers with the Magic, Dwight might get the edge over Shaq, as O’Neal was only with the franchise for four seasons, while Dwight was there for eight. 

In those four seasons, however, Shaq averaged 27.2 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 APG, and 2.8 BPG. He led the team to the NBA Finals in 1995 but they lost to the Houston Rockets. They’d make it to the Conference Finals the following year where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls after which O’Neal left for the Los Angeles Lakers.

As for Howard, his peak with the Magic was probably from the 2008-09 season to 2010-11, when he won Defensive Player of the Year in all three campaigns. He averaged 20.5 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 2.7 BPG in those three years and led them to the Finals in 2009 where they lost to the Lakers. When you consider just their peak, Shaq does get the edge. 


A 39-Year-Old Shaquille O’Neal Once Claimed Dwight Howard Couldn’t Beat Him 1-On-1

Shaq’s absolute peak would come later with the Lakers, as he led them to a historic three-peat from 2000 to 2002. At that time, there was no one in the league who had an answer for him and he’d have brushed Howard aside with ease.

Around about 10 years later though, Shaq was a shell of himself but even when he was 39 years old, he claimed Howard, who was at his prime, couldn’t beat him 1-on-1. You admire the confidence, but by then his body had broken down and the chances of him actually beating Howard were next to none.

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TAGGED:Dwight HowardShaquille O'Neal
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ByGautam Varier
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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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