Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard are two of the best centers the NBA has seen in recent years. Shaq was great with the Orlando Magic and made history with the Los Angeles Lakers before landing in Miami to continue winning and then wander around the league before calling it a career.
Howard started his career with the Magic, too, taking the team to the Finals before getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where his tenure wasn’t as successful as Shaq’s. These two players have feuded with each other over the years but they have a lot of things in common. One Redditor called ‘rahulraja8675’ broke down all the similarities between Shaq and D-12.
Of course, Diesel retired with 4 NBA rings and Howard is still looking his first one, but if you take a look, their journeys look very similar.
- Both of them were centers drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 1st Overall Pick
- In both their draft classes at #2 was drafted a big man who played for Charlotte: Alonzo Mourning and Emeka Okafor
- Both of them had a coach who didn’t last past their rookie year (Matt Guokas & Johnny Davis) and was replaced by Brian Hill
- Both of them took the Orlando Magic to the finals at the age of 23
- Both of them beat an All-Time great to get to the finals: Michael Jordan and LeBron James
- Both of them lost in the finals to a team in the middle of a 2-Peat
- Both of them lost to a team lead by 2 future HOFers: Hakeem Olajuwon/Clyde Drexler and Kobe Bryant/Pau Gasol
- Both of them lost the next year in the Eastern Conference Finals
- Both of them left the Orlando Magic for the LA Lakers to play with Kobe Bryant and eventually feuded with him
- Both of them were later coached by and feuded with Stan van Gundy
- Both of them left the Lakers to play next to a young, up-and-coming shooting guard: Dwyane Wade and James Harden
- Both of them embraced the persona of Superman
They have had a very similar path in the league, indeed. Still, they don’t see to like each other and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Howard has a big chance to win a ring this year so he could be at Shaq’s level, as the 4x NBA champion told him in 2018.
Shaq from the top rope 🤠pic.twitter.com/6Q6JiEBjPE
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) September 24, 2018
